Titans Reimagined 1: Starfall
by Stellar Magic
Summary: Dick Grayson (Robin) leaves Batman at 16 for New York City. There he finds a new home, a team, and friends in three metahuman teens. Little does he know that an alien will soon crash into his life. Uses a 'pseudo-realistic' approach to the DC Universe like Nolan's Batman. Rated T for violence, language, and one nude tamaranian.
1. Robin's Flight

_Author's Note: This fan-fiction series is meant as a 'Darker and Edgier' re-imagining of the Teen Titans animated series and comics more in line with the tone and style of Christopher Nolan's Batman series. Expect lots of DC Universe references, alternate character interpretations, aliases, backstories, and a somewhat plausible explanation for Starfire being so human like (Human-compatible aliens really do not fit with a gritty and realistic interpretation). I will be no more devoted to canon then Christopher Nolan, you've been warned. Rated T for nudity, violence, and language.  
_

_Disclaimer: Teen Titans is the property of DC Comics and Warner Bros._

_Reminder: All my stories are on a monthly update schedule, please see my profile for the the schedule.  
_

* * *

**Titans Reimagined #1: Starfall**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Robin's Flight**

* * *

Richard Grayson was pissed. It wasn't a familiar state for the young man as he tore through the drawers of his room, a duffle bag sat atop the his bed already stuffed with clothes and the handful of possessions that were his in his room.

There was a knock at the door and Richard froze. His hands were buried deep in one of the drawers. "Who is it?"

"Who else?" A female voice shouted back through the door.

_Babs… damn it._ He felt his cheek twitch in irritation and turned back to the door. He pulled it open revealing the lithe redheaded eighteen-year-old behind it with a backpack swung over her shoulder. "Come to chew me out too?"

"No." The redhead answered immediately before leaning to look into the room. "Going somewhere?"

Richard shifted to block her view. "What's it matter to you Babs?"

"What's going on Dick?" She asked and scowled.

"I'm leaving…" Richard snarled as he turned back from the door and stalked over to a poster on the side of the wall emblazoned 'The Flying Graysons' and tore it from the wall. He rolled it up as he set his jaw and stuffed it into the duffle bag.

"I don't understand, I now you and Bruce have been fighting but…"

Richard slumped on the bed and ran his hands across his face. "He fired me… Couldn't even wait for me to get out of the hospital and he fucking fired me. We had it out, it's a miracle the whole hospital floor didn't hear us."

Babs's eyes went wide and she dropped the backpack onto the floor. "He fired Robin?"

"No, he fired Dick Grayson." Richard growled between his teeth. "I'm not Robin anymore…"

"Let me help." Babs dropped onto the bed beside him and rummaged through the duffle bag. "Where are you going to go?"

"Somewhere else… I don't know, fuck." Richard closed his eyes and sobbed. "Six years Babs… I've worked with him for six years and he fires me… Haven't I earned more than that? Goddamn Batman."

Babs grabbed one of the piles of clothes and stuffed them into a bag. "Doesn't matter what I think."

"I… shit." Dick bit his lip and punched the wall in frustration leaving a divot in the plaster.

"Alfred isn't going to like that." Babs said as she tore open another drawer. "You will tell him, won't you?"

"Yeah…" Richard growled. "I owe Alfred that much." He flinched as he glanced at his now bloodied knuckles and swore quietly, grabbing a first aid kit from under the bed.

"And Jason?" Babs asked as she zipped up the duffle.

"Of course." Richard said as he began to wrap up his knuckles. "Where is he anyway?"

"Garage probably." Babs said and glanced around the rather bare room. "No one would guess the rich heir Richard Grayson lived here."

"It's bullshit… he made me turn over all the costumes and equipment. I made Robin, I… I was Robin." Richard kicked the chair beside the desk and growled to himself. "I might be a bit old for 'Boy Wonder' but… fuck. The costume, the name, it's all… it's me."

"You sure this isn't some blunder?" Babs asked. "A mistake?"

Robin scowled. "No, I've got to leave… If I stay here I'll do something I'll regret." He stood and grabbed the duffle bag. He stopped by the door. "Babs, Barbara… Thanks."

"Now you're leaving me with just him…" Babs rolled her eyes. "Fox just delivered some new stuff for the two of you… what a waste."

Richard smirked, an idea wiggling at the edge of his mind, and swung the duffle bag over his shoulder. "Yeah… bet Jason is drooling all over it." He glanced at Babs. "I'll call you once I've found a place."

"Be careful." Babs said as Richard headed down the hall.

He had just turned the corner when the old white haired figure of Alfred the butler stepped out from the master bedroom and shut the door. He glanced at Richard and nodded once. "Master Richard."

"Is Bruce in there?" Richard asked.

"Master Wayne is asleep. He will probably wake within the hour." The butler's gaze flicked to the duffle bag hanging from Richard's shoulder. "I see… Master Richard, if you wish me to wake him so you can say your goodbyes…"

"No Alfred." Richard said, leaping forward to catch the butler's hand before it reached the door. "I don't think I could see him without creating a scene."

"Yes sir." Alfred said with a nod of his head. "He does care for you… even if he has trouble expressing it, Master Richard."

Richard snorted. "If he did I wouldn't be leaving."

"Master Jason is in the garage… I trust you have already spoken with Miss Barbara?" Alfred asked.

"Yes." Richard said quietly. "I should be going."

"Good luck Master Richard." Alfred said and nodded to him once.

"Thank you." Richard wiped away a tear and headed down the hall to a bookshelf. He pulled the copy of _Common Sense_ from the shelf and it opened to reveal an elevator. He set the book back in place then stepped into the elevator. With a hiss, the door shut and the elevator rumbled down thirty feet opening to the dank cool air of a cave. A stream bubbled through the middle of the cavern and a simple console and monitor sat on a pillar of black metal in the middle of the water.

Richard walked past the console to a set of double doors that opened up to a dank grey garage lit by banks of fluorescent lights in the ceiling. A second console beeped and hummed from the far side of the garage.

Lined up on either side of along the concrete walls were bikes and cars. A nine-year-old boy with bright blue eyes was running his hands along the side of one of the red painted motorcycles as the doors clanged shut behind Richard. He leapt up and nervously shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Oh come on Jason, I'm not Bruce." Richard said. He walked along the cars toward the boy who visibly relaxed.

"Thank god, Dick. I thought I was going to get a fucking lecture again." Jason said as he stepped back from the bike. "Dad and his fucking rules."

"Yeah, Dad and his fucking rules." Richard walked past the bike. "Where's the new stuff?"

"Right there…" Jason said scampering over to a dark grey motorcycle. Its tires were the oversized sort that Bruce favored, and Richard could see that a pair of small caliber cannons had been fitted to either side of the front tire. Alongside it was a locked cage, which contained an armored suit. Pursing his lips Richard pulled out a lock breaking kit and quickly set to work, within a few seconds he opened the cage and whistled.

A black Nomex and Kevlar suit greeted him with a blue stylized winged insignia on the chest. "Jase?"

"Yeah… what are you doing?" Jason stared at the suit.

"I'm leaving." Richard pulled the suit out and started to stripe down. "Can you go get one of the Robin masks?"

"S… sure!" Jason yelled and scampered off. He returned just as Richard finished zipping up the suit and twisted to check its fit. "Here!" The boy handed him the mask and a collapsible fighting staff.

"Thanks." Richard said before pulling on the mask. With that done, he walked back to the bike, and quickly removed the tracking devices he knew were within before kicking the ignition. He glanced at Jason. "Well… I'm off."

"You're stealing from him… that's… that's so fucking badass!" Jason shouted.

"I'll call you when I can bro!" Richard said and then roared up the ramp and out into the afternoon light. He screamed out the gates of Wayne Manor and turned toward the interstate heading south-west.

Slowly the Gotham skyline faded behind him. A manic grin played across his lips. He could do it. It was time, time for Robin to rise from the shadow of the Dark Knight and make his own presence felt.

"From now on… I work alone." He said to himself as he headed toward the city of New York and the fresh start, the clean slate it represented.

* * *

"Is he gone?" Bruce Wayne asked as Alfred looked out the window behind him.

"Yes Master Bruce, he's gone." Alfred straightened and looked at the tumbler of whiskey that sat on the table beside Bruce. Slowly Bruce picked up the tumbler and swirled it once before emptying it.

Bruce sat the glass down on the table and coughed, his face worn and tired. "It has to be this way Alfred."

"Perhaps." Alfred allowed.

"He's not the kid I took in anymore. He's a man… it'll be better this way," Bruce said. "I don't want him to become like me."

"If that is why you drove him off, Master Wayne, I fear you may already be too late." Alfred said.

"Robin was never supposed to be dark…" Bruce said. "There's darkness in him, Alfred… if he doesn't turn from it, he'll end up just like me. Staying here would only make it worse. He'll become like me."

"An old battle worn bachelor then sir?" Alfred said and Bruce snorted with derision. "Or perhaps a man driven to do all he can?"

"And what is that?"

"A hero, Master Wayne, and you know that Master Richard is a hero," Alfred said carefully. "You made him one."

"It's time for little Robin to spread his wings, to escape my shadow." Bruce said carefully. He refilled the tumbler of whiskey. "He's not my 'Boy Wonder' anymore."

"So you've driven him away then…" Alfred said flatly, his voice still carrying the heavy weight of formality that it always bore.

Bruce sighed and lifted the tumbler once again, swirling it once before staring at the displays. "He will find his way."

"He'll expect you to come after him." Alfred said jerking his head toward the displays. "He stole from you."

"Gear which I intended for him all along… but you're right." Bruce swallowed the whiskey and stood up. "I will have to go after him."

"Why, Master Wayne?" Alfred asked.

Bruce glanced at his old friend, confidant, and butler. A smile tugged at his face. "To make sure he stays away."

* * *

In a dimly lit apartment, a woman with pale skin nibbled on the corner of a toasted waffle. In her lap, a large tome filled with parchment pages and arcane drawings was open. Her black hoodie and long black pants seemed to teem with darkness.

"Azarath metrion zinthos..." She murmured and three of the candles in the room winked out. A wedge of darkness slashed through three of the candles, which toppled to the floor, cleaved in half.

A small, slight half smile slipped across her face before her face returned to its normal flat expression.

The dull rumble of a stereo down the hall broke the girl's concentration and a scowl creased her face. She slammed a fist against the wall. "Keep it down, I'm trying to meditate!"

"Aw shut it Rachel!" A voice snapped back through the thin wall.

"I have waffles." She said.

"I'm so scared." The voice mocked.

Rachel scowled slightly. "You should be… you should be."

On the small dining table, a chirp from her computer drew her attention and Rachel sighed. She stalked over to the screen and sat down. A single e-mail message sat waiting for her.

_From: azarscholar99 _

_To: ravenroth _

_Subject: Delivery_

_Miss Roth,_

_I must thank you for your purchase from our antiquities collection. I have had word of your dealings with the local heroes as to assist you in your quest, and must admit disappointment in their lack of willingness to intervene on your behalf._

_The book you requested has been delivered to your safety deposit box for retrieval. I must admit a bit of disquiet in your interest in such a tome but word of your need has allayed those fears._

_Sincerely,_

_Amanda Selim, Azarath Scholar and Occult Historian_

Rachel took a deep breath and closed the message. "Alright, I suppose I have a bit of a trip to get done then.

* * *

Victor Stone groaned as he stepped out of the shower, the edges of the cybernetics and prosthetics that kept him alive had dug into his flesh from thermal expansion. It hurt.

It really fucking hurt. The point where flesh ended and plastic began always seemed to hurt. But that wasn't the only source of pain. He could feel pain through every one of his prosthesis, phantom pain.

He tossed the towel into a hamper beside the door and sighed as he stepped through the doors. Every day it was the same routine: get up, shower, run diagnostics, eat, tweak the control bios of the implants, get dressed, go to work assembling another prosthetic for a local hospital, eat lunch, finish the prosthetic, sit back, play video games, eat dinner, and repeat.

Victor walked over to the griddle by the side of the sink and flicked it on before lifting up his wrist. Scowling, he tapped at the computer built into his cybernetics and started the morning diagnostics. Every movement he made as he walked over to the refrigerator was recorded, the nerve pulses directing the movement of his cybernetics were recorded and the motions adjusted.

Nothing could completely deaden the pain as the diagnostics worked. Still, he was used to it. As he grabbed a bowl from the cabinet along with some flour, the Cyborg flinched as his wrist spasm and nearly dropped it. Cooking was a challenge in the midst of diagnostics, but with the little bit of time he had in the mornings there really wasn't a good way around it.

"Damn." He grunted as his fingers spasm for a moment. "Now you listen here you God damn circuits, I'm trying to fuckin' cook here."

The spasms stopped and Cyborg pulled a large bag of flour from the cabinet. A few minutes later, the bowl was filled with pancake batter and chocolate chips. On the griddle, he quickly cooked a small mountain of pancakes, bacon, and eggs. "Mmm... mhmm!" He said before setting down with the plate and starting his breakfast.

A large metal case sat beside the table filled with bills and Victor glanced at it for a moment after finishing his breakfast. "I guess I need to run to the bank again." He stepped to the case and snapped it shut.

* * *

"Garfield Logan?" The customs officer asked in a bored voice as his fingers tapped across the keyboard. A moment later he glanced up and stared at the subject.

He was a kid, maybe around thirteen or fourteen with a pale complexion, freckles, bright red hair with sunburns, and otherworldly green eyes. With a nod the customs officer confirmed the boy's identity. "Metahuman?"

The boy swallowed. "Yeah… what's it to you?"

"Nothing… but I've got to confirm it kid." The customs officer said. "Now… it says you're registered as a… 'changeling' with the alias 'Beast Boy'?"

"Yeah…" Garfield muttered. "I can change into animals… wanna see?"

"No, that's fine…" The officer said with a harrumph. "It looks like it's been quite a while since you were home in the US."

"Just keeping busy… meta stuff, you know?" Garfield said with a shrug. "So we done?"

"Not quite… anything you want to declare?"

Garfield smirked. "Besides me being totally awesome? Nope!"

The customs officer groaned. "Move along and welcome to the Big Apple."

"I guess I'll just go and take a nice big bite then…" Garfield exaggerated marching through customs whistling. He drew some stares with his black and purple uniform and goofy demeanor. One of the people waiting in line muttered something about cosplayers.

Garfield paid it no heed, he marched past the baggage claim whistling as he did and walked out to the street. A grin was plastered across his face as he saw the yellow cabs lined up, their horns blaring.

"Taxi!" He yelled. When one pulled up, he clambered inside. "TD Bank at 1873 Broadway, and step on it!"

_I hope I got enough cash for the trip to the bank._

* * *

Victor Stone fingered the metal case hanging from his hand as he stood in line to the tellers. It always irritated him a bit to have to deposit his earning in this fashion. He hadn't had a means of accepting credit or debit card deposits until a few months earlier, and few of his customers knew that there was another means of paying him now.

He'd had thought when he first started that most of the payments he'd recieve would have been in the form of checks, but quickly found that former members of the military had an odd tendency to operate more with cash, and so once a week he found himself with a metal case filled with bills awaiting deposit.

Victor made prosthetic limbs and cybernetic implants, mostly from parts made by his father's company: STAR Labs. An enormous market for the implants and limbs had opened up with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as the fighting there tended to produce more amputations than other injuries.

Two days earlier, he'd been working with a former US Army Ranger to get a prosthetic limb with an integrated pistol in the arm. It'd been typical as so many of the former military men had a tendency to want to be armed, or at least have a set of limbs capable of letting them do sports shooting.

He'd been paid three thousand dollars cash for the limb.

"Next." The teller said as Victor stepped to the counter. The brunette woman behind the counter smiled up at him. "Another good week for you Mr. Stone?"

"Good enough." He set the metal case on the counter and handed over a deposit slip. "Just shy of five thousand today..."

"I'll get this counted then..." The teller said before taking the briefcase and walking over to the cash counter. As she popped it open Victor glanced around the room for a moment and saw a girl in a hoodie head toward the back. He shrugged. "Listen... I need to take a leak."

"Oh, sure Mr. Stone..." The teller quickly said in a tone that declared she didn't need to know that detail.

"I'll be right back." Victor said before he pushed away from the counter and headed toward the restroom.

* * *

Garfield growled as he punched the buttons on the ATM machine. After three tries the machine spat out the card and he glared in irritation at the ATM. "Stupid machine! I just went twenty bucks!" He wanted to morph into a gorilla, rip the box from the wall, and give it a good shake when a text message appeared.

_Account Suspended due to Security Concerns…_

_Please see a teller for assistance. Minors are required to bring their parent or guardian._

"Oh fuck no!" Garfield snapped and beat the wall in frustration. "Mento is so going to laugh this up, I know it!"

A food truck rumbled to a stop and its rear door burst open. A dozen armed men swarmed past him into the lobby beyond as Garfield spun. "Huh?"

"Freeze kid!" Two of the armed men stopped outside the doors and lifted their rifles toward Garfield.

"Dudes, come on!" Garfield snapped. "You're not robbing the bank are you? Could you give me a twenty?"

The two robbers glanced between them, in that moment Garfield lunged forward, his body shifting from his human form to that of a snarling red furred wolf. He snapped at the arm of one of the men and bit down.

The robber screamed in pain and jerked away, dropping his gun in the process. His buddy swore and ran forward lifting the butt of his rifle like a club.

Garfield snapped out with a kick and caught the man in the chest with his back legs, knocking him into the wall as Garfield dragged the first man onto the ground. With a growl he changed again, turning to an enormous red furred cave bear. As the second man clambered upright Garfield stood on his hind legs and batted him with a paw knocking the robber into ATM's screen which shattered and crackled with electricity.

He fell still as the first thug scrambled for a gun just in time to be batted into the wall beside him. Garfield returned to his natural form and chocked. "Ugh… thugs taste bad…" He scrambled to the monitor and swore. "Dude! I'll never get my money out now!"

* * *

"I've always wondered, why don't other people think of the safety deposit boxes?" Raven muttered to herself as she stepped through the bank with the keys jangling in her hand. She walked up to the teller and let out a sigh. "Excuse me. I'd like to access a safety deposit box."

"Sure Miss, I assume you have the key?"

"Of course… why wouldn't I?" She stated deadpan. "It's not like I'm here to steal something."

"Right this way." The teller said before leading her to the back and a wall lined with numbered boxes. Slowly Raven ran her eyes along the numbers and stopped at her box. She handed the woman her key.

With a click, the woman pulled open the box revealing an ancient looking leather bound book. With a single nod to herself, she pulled it out and examined it for a moment. "This is all I need."

A shotgun blast echoed from the front.

* * *

The New York skyline spread out before him as Richard drove off the highway atop the motorcycle. The occasional whir of sirens greeted his ears as he drove through the streets, glancing occasionally at the side alleys. The familiar stink of urban living struck his nostrils as he drove into the dockside districts. It was the smell of urine and petrol mixed with the salty air of the ocean.

Richard's cheek twitched as he turned along a side road and sat in the traffic on the way to the city's center. The expanse of green trees and grass of central park slid past before he came to a set of clean looking apartments just off the park. A simple banner on the side of the building declared: Apartments for Rent, and Richard turned into the alley and climbed off the motorcycle. He pulled a tarp over the bike and stepped up to building's office.

A petite blonde woman sat behind the counter and glanced up. "Oh, hello... I'll be with you in just a minute." She grabbed a stack of papers from the printer and took them out of sight before returning with a clipboard. "What can I do for you?"

"The banner said you had apartments?" Richard asked.

"Of course... there are six apartments remaining, all of them two bedroom." She smiled faintly. "You can make a six month down payment?"

Richard smirked. "No problem..." It wasn't... being the adopted son of Bruce Wayne had its advantages and wealth was one of them. After just a few minutes of negotiation, he'd gotten a set of keys to an apartment on the twelfth story and headed up.

Inside the apartment were the typical kitchenette, the two bedrooms, a common room, and a small cramped bathroom with a shower. A small alcove opposite the bathroom held a washer and dryer.

"It's not a pent house, but it'll do." Richard said to himself as he tossed the duffle bag into one of the small bedrooms. "I guess I'll have to buy some furniture."

With a shrug, Richard slipped out of the room and headed to the elevator. Ten minutes later, he was driving by Macy's looking for a furniture store. A food truck rumbled past, its polished metal sides gleaming in the morning light.

A police siren blared from down the block and Richard tapped the crime scanner nestled between the handlebars of his bike.

"Dispatch, bank robbery in progress on 1873 Broadway…" Immediately Richard hammered on the throttle and shot between a pair of cabs waiting for the light. He might as well start making his mark on the city.

* * *

Victor Stone was zipping up his fly when the boom of a shotgun echoed from just outside the bathroom door. Scowling he tapped the side of his forearm and with a snap a conical sonic cannon extended from his arm. He stepped toward the door just as a second blast echoed and the screams started.

"Get on the floor, all of you!" A voice shouted as Victor stopped just beside the bathroom door. "We're serious fuckers, so just shut up and get on the fucking ground!"

Victor tapped his cybernetic eye and peered around the corner. He could see the heat signatures of a dozen men standing in the middle of the lobby, their hot forms framing the cool metal of the weapons in their hands. Other heat signatures sprawled out on the ground, their hands clasped behind their heads in the classic pose of bank hostages everywhere.

"Shit... fuckin' typical." Victor said as he leaned back from around the corner.

"Check the bathrooms!" A man yelled.

"Well hell..." Victor said as he stepped back toward the stalls and lifted his wrist toward the entrance. "You best be robbin' some other bank..." He murmured to himself. "Or I'll fuck you up."

A man with a ski mask clutched the frame of an AK-47 as he stepped right in front of Victor. His eyes went wide just before a sonic pulse shot from the cyborg and slammed the man back against the tile. He crumpled to the floor and laid still.

"What the hell was that?" One of the guys in the lobby yelled. "Frank? What's going on in there? You know the boss doesn't want you getting' tail unless he gets some too... Frank?"

"Go find him." Another voice growled. "You two, go get the stuff cash behind the tellers, the rest of you listen up... We're cracking the safe."

"Right Rav!" The first voice answered.

"Well fuck me and call me Shirley." Victor said as he crept toward the door. "If the whole lot is this stupid, it'll be easy!"

* * *

Rachel Roth swore under her breath as the shots echoed in the back of the bank... Her scowl grew darker as the bank worker that had led her to the safety deposit boxes shrieked and dove under a table.

She clutched the ancient tome toward her chest as two men wearing ski masks strode into the room, gleaming metal firearms clutched in their hands and duffle bags swung over their shoulders.

The two of them lifted the rifles toward her. "On the floor goth girl!" The larger of the pair shouted. "Unless you really want to end up getting paler from blood loss."

"Azar..." She snapped and backed away from the two thugs.

"I said, get on the ground!" The first thug yelled again and lifted the rifle toward the ceiling. A single shot echoed in the room. "Unless you want to die little bitch!"

A flash of rage flared in her mind and the fluorescent light overhead shattered bathing the room in darkness. The two robbers swore as Rachel kicked over a table and hid, clutching the tome to her chest.

"Damn bitch... just lucky that light shattered." The goon snapped. "Fine bitch, you want to hide, you hide!"

Rachel closed her eyes focusing inward until she could feel her spirit slowly beginning to pull free of her body. She could see the two goons kneeling beside the vault door pulling blocks of what looked like clay from the duffle bags and planting them on the vault door.

"This does not bode well." Rachel muttered to herself as the two goons slammed an electronic detonator into each of the blocks and stepped out of the room. Her eyes flared and a solid wall of darkness surrounded her.

Then the plastic explosives detonated. Raven felt the concussion roll over the shield and her ears rang. Then the heavy steel vault door fell from its hinges and dropped into the middle of the floor.

"Don't they know how to knock?" Raven muttered to herself as the two goons ran back into the room and stepped inside the vault. She could hear the zip of duffle bags being opened as each began to fill them with bank notes.

She stood up and brushed dust from her hoodie before glaring at the vault. "Azarath metrion zinthos!"

With a groan, a black shadow enveloped the vault door as it lifted from the floor and settled back into its frame. Slowly Raven lowered her hands and smirked. "All too easy."

* * *

The clatter of booted feet echoed in the bathroom and Victor waited. Suddenly a figure swung around the door, this one had the Kalashnikov tucked in tight to his shoulder as he entered and jerked it toward Victor just before he fired.

The sonic pulse shattered tile and sent dust billowing from the impact while the man screamed in pain and lifted the rifle toward him. A shot cracked past Victor's head and he returned fire, slamming a pulse of sonic energy into his chest and slamming him against the wall beside his comrade.

"This is my town and my bank..." Victor said as he charged past the two dazed robbers and into the lobby. He caught sight of two of the robbers carrying a metal case along with a pair of duffle bags. "Oh fuck no!" Cyborg yelled as he ducked behind a table. "That's my money!"

Two bullets ripped through the wood over Victor's shoulder before he spun and lifted his sonic cannon to the escaping pair of thieves. With a single shot, the man carrying the metal case was pitched over the counter and against the wall. One of the duffle bags burst open and a blizzard of cash fluttered through the air.

"Shoot the cyborg!" A voice yelled.

At that moment an explosion echoed just outside the glass storefront and the street beyond disappeared in a spiderweb of shattered glass. Seconds later a motorcycle blew through the glass. It was flat black with an enormous pair of wheels. A man clad in a set of full body armor and a mask was astride it as it twisted and slid across the floor. Victor's eyes stared at the bike as he saw the tires continue to drive despite going sideways, somehow revolving to keep the tire in the direction of the line of travel.

A gunman lifted his rifle to his shoulder and the rider hurled something that whipped through the air and cut into the trigger hand. He screamed and dropped the Kalashnikov which clattered to the floor as his compatriots opened fire.

The rider tumbled from the bike as bullets tore into the tile of the floor, and mid roll suddenly was on his feet, two more of the black boomerangs ripping through the air and catching two of the gunmen. Shouts of pain and anger filled the air.

Then the rider dropped beside Victor taking cover behind the table. Three black metal throwing stars filled one hand, each shaped vaguely like a bat.

"Hello." The masked man… no, this was no man. This close to him Victor realized he was more a teenager.

"Nice of you to drop in." Victor said as he spun around the desk and lifted his left arm. A blast of sound shot into one of the gunmen and he was tossed back against the wall with a thud. A second blast punched a hole clean through one of the overturned desks the robbers had made for as cover.

The masked figure glanced at him. "Is that a sonic cannon?"

"You bet." Cyborg said as he lined up a bead on of the robbers. A boom rocked the lobby.

"What have we here… batman decided to drop in?" One of the robbers asked before he stood up on the table. He wore a bandoleer laden down with grenades and magazines over a Kevlar vest. A ski mask covered his face and a Kalashnikov with an under barrel grenade launcher and scope was clasped in his hands.

"Batman?" One of the robbers shouted sounding scared.

The robber on the table chuckled. "Nah… I bet this is just a copycat, isn't that right lad? Dad told me all about that lot in Gotham… You trying to make a name for yourself?"

"Really? Guess this is just where we Gotham kids go when we leave our parents." The teen beside Victor said. Then he leapt to his feet and hurled his weapons at the figure standing atop the table. The man danced away, dropped behind the table and kicking it onto its side just for the three sharp batarangs to thump into the wood. He then lifted his rifle to his shoulder and let loose.

Victor flinched as the assault rifle rounds tore through the wood table beside him, but the masked teen was gone, leaping over the desks and chairs out of sight. The man standing atop the table slowly scanned over the tables. "I'll give you this much, you're not a bad fighter, are you kid?"

"I've trained with the best." The teen said with a smirk in his voice. Suddenly he leapt from the tables and kicked out catching the man atop the counter with his boot and knocking him back to the floor. When the teen dropped to the ground, he held a metal bo staff out before him and a slight smile played across his face. "What about you?"

The man leapt to his feet. "Nicely done…" He drew a katana from his back and charged forward. Victor stared in shock as the two combatants fought. The teen would leap clear of slashes that could easily have caught another man, or parried the blade with his fighting pike. With a snap, the teen belted the man across the face with his staff and knocked him onto his back. Before the boy could move to incapacitate him though the ski masked man lifted a machine pistol from his belt and opened fire.

The masked teen spun and grabbed his cape pulling it around him like a shield. The small caliber pistol bullets thudded against it like hail but didn't penetrate.

* * *

A boom echoed from the inside of the vault and Raven's eyes went wide as the vault door fell forward, toppling toward her. "Oh Azar..." She muttered. Diving out of the way, Raven rolled across the linoleum and banged against the wall. Her head throbbed as she blinked away the pain from the impact.

The two robbers ran through the smoke and disappeared around the corner as Rachel rubbed her head and groaned.

* * *

"We got the money boss!" One of the minions yelled. Three of them came running out with duffle bags full of money. A food truck screeched to a stop outside the shattered glass.

The ski-masked man stood and backed away, his pistol leveled at the teen with smoke rising from the barrel. "It seems we have to cut this short… next time." He tossed the pistol aside and ran for the door, as he scrambled inside, the food truck roared away, its tires screeching.

* * *

"Dude!" Garfield shouted as he watched the robbers scramble away on the truck. He broke into a run, scrambling between cars. As he pushed himself his body shifted, molding and stretching into another form. His red hair ran down his back lengthening and stiffening into a crest of feathers that darkened to black at the tail tip.

His green eyes stared down the length of his snout and a screech unlike anything the people had heard echoed over the bustle of the New York street. People turned to the sound and some stared in shock.

Most thought it was some sort of bird… with a black snout and red feathers running down its back until turning to black and white stripes at the tail tip. Two small clawed wings were spread out before it as it screeched and the feathers ended mid-thigh on its calf. Dark black scales ran down to the three toed foot. One of the claws on the inside of the foot was raised and enlarged like a curved sickle.

The robbers in the back of the truck stared in shock as a nine foot long raptor scrambled after them, its tail held stiff out as it screeched again and leapt into pursuit.

Their leader tore a grenade from his bandoleer and tossed it… Garfield's eyes went wide as the metal clattered between them and he tried to stop. With a hiss he dove and rolled across the ground, shifting into his human form as he did.

Then a boom echoed in the streets and he heard bits of shrapnel slice through the air around him. Slowly he opened his eyes feeling innumerable bruises from his roll and staggered to his feet. The food truck was gone.

"Dude!" He glanced around at the staring bystanders. "What you looking at?"

* * *

Victor slowly stood. "Everybody okay?"

The teen stood and scowled. "Who was that guy?"

"No idea." Victor said. "You okay?"

"Yeah…" He scowled and brushed off the cape. "Thanks for the help."

Victor stepped over to one of the knocked out robbers and picked up the metal case holding his last weeks' worth of earnings. He sighed with relief. "Bastards almost took my money."

The teen stepped over to one of the knocked out robbers and lifted him up by the collar before slamming him into the wall. The man woke with a shout of pain and his head lolled from side to side. "Oh fuck…"

"Who do you work for?"

"Like I'd tell you freak!" The man snapped. "You're just a punk kid aren't you?"

The teen pressed his staff against his throat. "A name!"

"Fuck you! The Ravager is going to get you for interferin' you hear me!" The man snapped.

"Ravager…" The teen let the man go and stepped back, collapsing the staff before hanging it on his utility belt. "Thanks for the name… moron."

The man wilted slightly as he realized what he'd given. "Oh… fuck!"

The teen walked over to his bike and yanked it upright. "Hey… Cyborg? You know someplace around here we can get something to eat?"

"You buyin'?" Victor asked.

"Why not, I'm new in town." The teen said.

"Well, there's this Mexican place, authentic like…" Victor began.

"I take it you two were who I heard from the back." A rasp called from behind them.

Victor glanced at the source of the voice and found himself looking at a pale skinned teen clad in a black hoodie and long black jeans. She held a rather worn looking tome over her chest and glanced at the wrecked and knocked out thugs. "Some party."

"Who are you… matter of fact, who are y'all man?" Victor asked.

"Later… when we're someplace private." The teen said before turning to the goth girl. "Did you get any of them in the back?"

"No… I almost trapped them in the vault but they had explosives." The girl said.

"Come on… there's that joint I was talkin' about on sixty-sixth, just two blocks over." Victor said. "Then we can get some food and discuss what just happened."

The teen wrenched his bike upright and clambered aboard. "Sixty-sixth, right?"

"Yep." Victor said. "See you in a bit."

With a roar the bike shot out the smashed doors.

"He doesn't talk much." The goth girl said and Victor smiled.

* * *

"Dude!" Garfield shouted as the black cycle shot out of the bank and roared down the street. He stared after it for a long moment. "Was that batman?"

"No, batman looks like a bat." A raspy voice muttered from the bank doors. A pale skinned girl glanced around at the crumpled form of the two lookouts that were sprawled out beside the doors. "Did you do this?"

Garfield chuckled. "Umm… maybe? You think I could make a withdrawal now?"

"Bank's closed short stuff." A huge black man with a glowing red cybernetic eye said as he stepped through the doors. "Did you knock this lot out?"

"Yep…" Garfield said proudly and pointed his thumb to his chest. "It was easy."

"We were going to get some lunch. You want to come along short stuff?" The black man said.

Garfield felt his stomach growl at the thought of food. "You buying?"

"Nah… that bike guy is going to be buying." The black man said. "What's your name short stuff?"

"Umm… Beast Boy." Garfield said.

"Beast Boy?" The pale girl said in a dismissive tone. "Really?"

"I can turn into animals!" Garfield said before suddenly shifting to a red fox that sauntered over to the pale girl. Something about her scent drew him toward her and he cocked his head.

"Adorable…" The pale girl said and rolled her eyes. Her cool expression faltered as Garfield morphed into a raptor, its carnivorous breath seemed to make her choke at the stink. "Okay… maybe not that adorable."

With a flash Beast Boy was back in his human form grinning wickedly at the goth. "What about you guys?"

"The name is Raven." The goth said with a shrug.

"Kay…" Beast Boy glanced at the cyborg.

He sighed. "Well, my name is Victor… but lots of people around town call me Cyborg."

"Kind of obvious why." Raven said. "I believe you were offering lunch…?"

"Sure the car's this way." Cyborg said.

* * *

Twenty-five light years separated Earth from the star Vega... And orbiting the star itself a single ship sat, it's gleaming silver hull reflecting the starlight around it. In it's hull dozens of sapient life forms worked, experimented and researched, and one suffered.

_The subject is awake…_ The mental voice called out to her. She slowly opened her bright blue-white glowing eyes and stared up at the grey-skinned creature that was bent over her form, a Psion.

_Her body has not yet reached its maximum capacity._ The mental voice stated and she glanced toward the side where a second grey alien was lifting a cylinder filled with a soft glowing liquid… _The autotroph is multiplying in accordance with our projections._

_It is time to proceed with the next experiment. We have others at the station. This one should provide a baseline for their maximum capacity._ The Psion leaned over her and ran a hand along her soft blue-white skin examining her body for lesions or burns.

"X'hal…" The subject growled and flexed her claws trying to escape the restraints. Her feline ears fluttered as she flexed her arms and looked up at the grey form of the grey. She wanted to tear the creature limb from limb…

_We are ready to proceed._ The second grey stated as it stepped away and a massive device lowered into place. At first glance, it looked like a laser, but in truth, it wasn't something so complex or specialized. It created an artificial sunlight, a brilliant blue-white that mirrored that of the local star, Vega.

_Beginning test…_ The first grey stated and the subject growled before she was engulfed in light. A howl echoed in the room as blue-white energy flared through the subject's body, rolling through her core and rushing toward the limbs, the eyes, searching for any point of exit.

_She is discharging at an accelerated rate, well beyond projections._ The grey stated. _We will soon learn the maximum capacity of her body despite that._

A brilliant beam of blue-white light lanced from her clenched paw and burned through the restraint. With a snarl, she leaned back and slammed the glowing fist into the light source killing it and plunging the room into darkness.

_Emergency._ The grey stated as it stepped toward the control panel. Just as it reached the panel, a flash of light slammed into the controls blasting it apart. The grey stumbled back, its black eyes blinking in the sudden light and staring toward the source.

The subject stood, a brilliant light glowing from its paws, an equally bright light burning from its eyes. The grey stared as the eight-foot tall bipedal creature stepped toward it. Claws slid out from its five fingered paws and the cat like head was enveloped in a mane of scarlet hair.

_No!_ The mind shouted as the creature charged, blinded by hatred and blood lust. Two blasts of blue white light smashed into the subject and she crumpled to the floor as a pair of guards stepped into the room. _We must reinforce her restraints. _The Psion observed.


	2. New Friends, New Foes

_Reminder: All my stories are on a monthly update schedule, please see my profile for the the schedule._

* * *

**Titans Reimagined #1: Starfall**

* * *

**Chapter 2: New Friends, New Foes**

* * *

Richard Grayson parked his bike in an alley and ran a hand through his hair. Drywall dust fell from his messy hair and he could feel his shoulder aching from the heavy use so soon out of the hospital.

The crime scanner crackled, "Dispatch this is 188, we're at the bank looks like a 1337 from what the witnesses were saying. Somebody said he thought it was Batman."

Dick couldn't help himself, he laughed. "Me, the Batman?" With a groan, he clambered off the bike and turned off the scanner. He twisted and felt the shoulder twinge a bit before he removed the cape from around his throat and stuffed it in the storage compartment of the bike. Then he took a deep breath and stepped out onto the street.

He ignored the sidelong glances of some people as they walked past until he came upon a small restaurant at the bottom floor of a high-rise apartment complex. A simple rather worn side declared it the 'La Castile' restaurant. A heavily customized hatchback sat across the street and Richard blinked in surprise as three figures climbed out. The first two were the Goth looking girl and the cyborg, but the third was a kid with bright red hair and green eyes wearing a black and purple uniform.

Doom Patrol? I wonder what the chances of that are... Dick smirked slightly as the kid waved. "Dude, you're the guy that almost hit me with that bike!"

"Yeah... and you're Doom Patrol, let me guess... 'Beast Boy'?" Richard asked as the three of them crossed the street and walked up to the doors.

"Dude! You've heard of me?" The kid bounced on the balls of his feet. "That's awesome."

"Really... I wonder how long until he regrets it." The Goth looking girl said as she clutched the leather bound book to her chest.

"Regrets it, I'm awesome though Rae!" Beast Boy said and the Goth rolled her eyes.

"I think some introductions are in order, don't you?" The Cyborg said. "You already apparently know short stuff... my name's..."

"Victor Stone, alias Cyborg... not that you particularly care for it and you must be Rachel Roth, aka Raven." Richard said with a smirk as he recognized the two of them from Batman's extensive files on metahumans.

"Now that leaves us at a disadvantage seeing as you know us and we don't know you..." Cyborg said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"It's the new suit isn't it...?" Richard smirked as he brushed a bit of dust from his suit. "Call me Robin."

"Robin as in... half the dynamic duo? Sweet!" Beast Boy leapt forward and grabbed his hand shaking it vigorously. "I'm a huge fan and..."

Richard wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh or tear his hand from the thirteen or fourteen year old. Cyborg grabbed Beast Boy's wrist and pulled him back. "Now little man, give Rob his space... you know?" Cyborg straightened up. "So... if you're here did Bats get bored with Gotham?"

"No... I left... had enough of working with the foreboding and impersonal Batman." Richard said forcing a light hearted tone to his words. "Just moved in."

"You goin' solo? Congrats." Cyborg said.

Beast Boy nodded vigorously. "I left my team too... maybe we can help each other out? Huh?" He gave a puppy dog look. "Please..."

Richard couldn't help but laugh at the younger boy's antics. "We'll see Beast Boy. So Cyborg, you said this place is good? Looks a bit... low class to me."

"Man, good Mexican food is low-class... best food you can get in the city is places like this, and its real fuckin' cheap!" Cyborg said as he pulled open the door and ushered them inside. "Just grab a seat... we're all underage, aren't we?"

"No... I am one hundred and twelve." Raven said deadpan. Immediately Beast Boy toppled onto the ground wheezing.

"Funny Rae!" He said from the ground after catching his breath. "You hear the one about the thousand year old man and..."

"Yes... it's not amusing." Raven said. "Additionally, my name is Raven, or Rachel not Rae."

"Aww... but it's a nice nickname." Beast Boy said.

A waiter came by and started to take their order. As she came to Robin, he smirked slightly and asked in Spanish. _"Any suggestions?"_

The girl's eyes went wide and then she gave him an impish smile before answering in rapid fire Spanish. _"The Skirt Steak Burritos are a great deal for the money... We don't have cheese as much as more Americano style places..."_

_"Gracias, I shall have the Skirt Steak Burrito platter."_ Dick said before handing her the menu. Then he glanced at the others at the table. Cyborg and Beast Boy looked a bit stunned while Raven seemed to be suppressing amusement at their faces.

"You speak Spanish?" Cyborg finally said.

"Fluently." Dick said.

"That would be useful." Raven said deadpan.

Richard nodded. "That's not it, I also speak a couple others... it's great when you run across international criminals or ethnic gangs."

"I suppose that makes sense." Cyborg said.

Beast Boy shrugged. "Well amigo, it's cool..."

Robin snorted and leaned back in his seat. "So... what are you three doing in town... last I heard Beast Boy was with the Doom Patrol and Raven was talking with the Justice League...?"

"You know about that?" Raven asked.

Robin shrugged. "Batman's sidekick... and he's one of the founders of the League." Robin didn't mention that the Batman continuously complained about the way the League tended to operate... it was no wonder that Batman had contingency plans to deal with a runaway Justice League. Hell the man had contingency plans for everything...

He was a paranoid and manipulative bastard. Robin sighed. "Anyway..."

"Mento's was going to get us all killed, that's why I left if you really want to know... he's obsessed." Beast Boy said.

"What about you Cy?" Robin asked.

"Me? I just live here." Cyborg said and shrugged. "Been working on making different prosthetics for the boys coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan... plus writing operating software for my implants. It's a living."

"Everybody have a place to stay?" Robin asked.

Raven and Cyborg nodded but Beast Boy paled and glanced around the table. "Uh... I just got here this morning and my Bank Account got suspended... could one of you?"

"You can crash at my place for a while BB." Cyborg said.

"Sweet!" Beast Boy said. Robin smirked at the kid's exuberance just before the waiter returned with their food and winked at Robin. He shrugged just as Raven's gaze followed the girl back to the kitchen.

Raven daintily took a bite of a burrito before her and opened the leather bound book at the table. Beast Boy was eating a vegetable burrito, something that to Robin seemed a bit of an insane concept.

Robin took a bite of his burrito and swallowed shocked by the flavors. It wasn't bad, not at all. In fact, it tasted better than any burritos he'd had in Gotham and as Bruce Wayne's ward he'd had some expensive burritos. This one cost less than five bucks and blew them out of the water. It seems that Cyborg was right, real good Mexican was low-class. "Wow, that's good stuff."

"I know! It's cheap too..." Cyborg said as he quickly went to work on his food. Beast Boy looked a little green at the meat but stayed silent.

"I guess you're right, never had Mexican that was this good." Robin said as he finished his burritos and pushed away the plate.

"I guess daddy bats didn't go out to the cheap immigrant owned joints then?" Cyborg said with a roll of his eyes. "Missing some great stuff living like that."

Robin shrugged. "Well, I didn't know till today..." He glanced at the waitress as she set the tab down on the table. Without much thought, he dropped a handful of bills on it.

"So, Robin, you trying to get out from under Bat's shadow?" Cyborg asked.

Robin nodded. "Yeah..."

"Have you considered getting some help? This is one big city to deal with by yourself." Cyborg said. "Plus it's got terrorist bait that Gotham doesn't have."

Robin scowled. "You think it's more than I can handle?"

"Do you think bats could handle all of New York by himself?" Cyborg asked.

Robin shook his head slowly. Batman wouldn't be able to handle the whole city by himself, he'd need help. Hell, he needed help in Gotham and hadn't admitted that for years. "No, he couldn't handle all of New York himself. I'll need a team."

"Damn right, and we'll need a leader -"

"How about someone with field experience that can lead a team." Raven stated flatly. "We didn't stop that robbery did we?"

"No, we were all doing our own things... no coordination." Robin shrugged. "A team is a great idea."

"Thanks... so, we need a way to contact each other right... I can give all you guys my cell-phone number?" Cyborg said.

"If I call you, can you conference call with all the others?" Robin asked.

"Sure... that's pretty easy, why didn't I think of that?" Cyborg asked.

Robin smirked. "Six years working with batman."

"Good point... you serious about this team thing?" Cyborg asked. Robin nodded. Cyborg shrugged. "Alright, I'm in... just so long as I can still make a living on the side. Whose leader?"

"I believe I already suggested my choice." Raven said.

"I agree with Raven, Robin is the most experienced of us..." Beast Boy said. Raven glanced at him looking surprised. "What? I left the Doom Patrol to get away from Mento's Leadership!"

"Okay..." Raven stated. "The clown is being serious. It's creeping me out."

"So it's what, two for Robin? No point in holding a full vote then is there." Cyborg grumbled.

"I... I'm flattered." Robin said and his lips twitched into a smirk. "Thanks."

"Awesome!" Beast Boy yelled. "I'm working with Robin, the Boy Wonder!"

Robin chuckled. "Well... I got to go furniture shopping and get settled in." He pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open. "So, what are your guy's phone numbers?"

He exchanged numbers with the three of them then flipped the cell phone shut. "I'll call you tonight... maybe Pizza?"

"Sweet!" Beast Boy yelled. "I'm hungry already."

"I don't socialize much..." Raven muttered. "But I suppose if you're paying I'll come."

Robin laughed. "See you two later, hopefully I'll be settled in by then." He headed out the door, his own hopes and confidence growing by leaps and bounds by that short meeting in the La Castile.

The afternoon was quickly filled with buying furniture for the apartment and arranging for its delivery as fast as possible. By the time five o'clock had rolled around he'd gotten a mattress and box spring along with a couch. Bits of a wooden TV stand were scattered across the wooden floor of the living room along with his tool belt when his cell phone rang.

"Dude!" Beast Boy's eager voice came through the cell phone.

"Hey Beast Boy." Robin said.

"What you doing?" He asked slyly.

Robin rolled his eyes as he set down the tools. "Putting a TV stand together."

"Oh man… I bet Cyborg could help you, he's like a walking Swiss army knife, you know?" Beast Boy said. "You think about Pizza yet?"

"It's only five o'clock Beast Boy… I'm not hungry yet." Robin said.

"Oh come on!" Beast Boy said. "I'm starving here."

"You're not starvin', you're just whinin'." Cyborg's voice cut across the line. "You got hollow legs little man."

"I'm not that bad." Beast Boy said. "Please Robin, can you make sure the place has got a vegan option? I don't like meat… or eggs… or dairy."

"Picky boy, what's wrong with meat… you turned into a dinosaur on us… those eat meat!" Cyborg said. "And Tofu is disgustin!"

"Is not!"

"Is to!"

"Is not!"

Robin snorted and flopped back onto the couch. "Tofu is fine if made right…"

"Really, guess nobody knows how to make it right then!" Cyborg said.

"You're just pissed I kicked your butt in Halo!" Beast Boy said.

"Did not… I was ahead of you by twenty points at the end." Cyborg growled. "And I got more achievements then you do!"

"Dude, you're a cyborg! I know you got some stupid dev hacks to pump up your game." Beast Boy shouted. "Hey Robin, you any good at Halo?"

Robin snorted and glanced at the half setup TV stand. "Let me finish setting up this TV and you'll find out."

"Well hurry up, I'm gettin' tired of whippin' grass stain's butt." Cyborg said.

Robin rolled his eyes and leaned over the table, after another fifteen minutes the completed stand and television sat ready and Robin logged into the X-box live system. He pulled out his phone and called Cyborg.

"Alright Cy, I'm online… what's your guy's user name?"

"Cyborg007 and Beast Boy is beastboy01. What's yours?" Cyborg asked.

"1337robin." Robin answered as he ran down a list of his friends that were online. "Okay, fastestkidalive, redbow12, and 0rac13 are online too…"

"Who are those guys?" Cyborg asked.

"Just some friends of mine." Robin said with a smirk on his face. "I've got to talk to them for a second… okay?"

"Sure man, invite them to join us. There's a bunch of noobs playing this server." Cyborg said before Robin disconnected. He pulled on the headset and leaned back on the couch before using the VOIP system to talk to the others quick.

"Dick, you're all settled in?" A familiar voice asked.

He shrugged. "Not really Babs, but I got the television setup."

"Bruce is pissed with what you did this morning, saw it on the Gotham Central News… some people thought it was him." Babs answered.

"It was sweet though, you were like POW! SMASH! WHAM!" The hyperactive voice of another teen caught on. "I was like, DUDE! When I saw that on youtube!"

"Calm down Wally… who was that Cyborg dude anyway?" Another voice asked.

"Cyborg." Robin said with a smirk.

"What's his name?" The voice asked again.

"Cyborg."

"Seriously, what's his name?"

"Roy… his name is Cyborg." Robin said and rolled his eyes. "Listen, I'm going to join him and another guy that helped out in a server. They don't know my real name so…"

"Sure, sure… we'll call you Robin, Robin." Roy said in a bored voice. "So… I guess you'll have to call us our superhero identities."

"Sure Speedy." Robin said. "Anyway, these guys are Cyborg and Beast Boy. Their user names are Cyborg007 and beastboy01."

"Cool!" Wally said. "We should so start a superhero clan! Call it Young Justice or something."

Laughter crackled across the VOIP channel. "Alright, let's go show Cy and BB how we do this!"

* * *

"Dude I so pwned you!" Beast Boy snapped as his hands moved across the controller. He moved around the couch as he yelled, twitching as if his movements would help the character move faster.

"Just cause you're jumpin' all over making yourself so hard to hit!" Cyborg said. "Oh yeah… it's hammer time!"

"Not the gravity hammer!" Beast Boy yelled then screamed in frustration as his avatar was booted across the map. "Dude, that's just mean!"

_1337robin has joined the game…_

_fastestkidalive has joined the game…_

_redbow12 has joined the game…_

_0rac13 has joined the game…_

"Hey guys, you ready?" Robin's voice called across the headsets.

"Oh dude! Who are these guys?" Beast Boy asked as he hammered on the controls and raced for an assault rifle.

"Just some friends of mine." Robin said and Beast Boy felt a chill roll down his spine. "Get ready!"

A shot rang out and Cyborg's bright blue character jerked and fell over. He stared at the screen in surprise. "Who shot me?"

"That'd be me." A rather gruff voice called out. "Name's Speedy!"

"Oh Dude… is this like the sidekick league or something?" Beast Boy said.

"You are so going down Speedy!" Cyborg said as he grabbed a rocket launcher and sent a volley into his location. A sticky grenade slammed into Beast Boy's avatar.

"Oh no…" He muttered. "That's so unfair!" He said just before his player was tossed limply over a precipice from the explosion. "Who killed me anyway?"

"That'd be me…" A female voice called over the VOIP channel and a black figure dropped in behind Cyborg.

"Oh shit, it's TEX! She's real!" Cyborg yelled and there was laughter across the channel as Cyborg spun toward the black player and fired his rocket launcher again. The blast knocked her against a wall and she tossed another grenade that stuck to Cyborg. "Oh that's just not fair! Come here!" He growled and rushed the black player, blowing up in her face and killing them both. More laughter came across the VOIP channel.

"Ouch, did we just get beat by a girl?" Beast Boy said.

"Seems like it." Cyborg said. "Who are you lady?"

"Oh, that's just Babs… I'll get her for you." Robin's voice answered.

"Babs?" Cyborg said. "She's the freakin' terminator…"

"What kind of superhero name is Babs?" Beast Boy asked as he rushed out into the fight with a pistol.

"Oh that's not my identity." Babs called out. "Beat me again and I'll tell you two."

"It sounds like it's on!" Another voice snapped and a yellow and red player in light armor sped toward Babs. "If I beat you, can I have a date?"

"Hell no Kid Flash!" Babs said. "If you start complaining about lag I'll kick you from the server!"

"You might not notice it, but I do! You guys are just slow." Flash answered. An explosion echoed in their headsets and Beast Boy watched a red suit of armor being tossed from the upper floor of a building.

"Shit, I don't get this… how is she so damn good at this but I beat her sparing all the time?" Speedy asked.

"Babs? She's just good with computers." Robin answered. "Oh fuck! She found me!"

"Bye bye boy blunder!" Babs said.

A black and blue suit of armored was tossed from the upper building and Beast Boy glanced at Cyborg. "Dude!"

"Let's get her!" Cyborg yelled and charged toward the building hurling rockets into the windows. A second later, the black and gold form of Bab's avatar leapt from the top window and dropped into a crouch. Beast Boy fired at her with an assault rifle just before she shot back and peppered him with spikes.

"Fuck!" Beast Boy said as he died. "She's good at this."

A sticky grenade slammed into Cyborg and he charged after her, closing just into range before exploding and dropping Babs as well. "YES!" He said. "She's down!"

"Alright, you got me…" Babs said. "I'm Batgirl."

"Sweet!" Beast Boy said. "And she plays video games?"

"She hacks, I'm sure!" Flash said. "I bet she's got an aim-bot."

"Do not… just because I can hit you in the game!" Babs said.

"Are they always like this?" Beast Boy asked.

Robin laughed. "Usually, how about some Griffball? Babs can be Giff."

"We're in!" Cyborg said.

* * *

The Pizza parlor that he'd found down the street was in many ways quite similar to La Rancha Rita. Cheap, greasy, and good food made by immigrant hands using recipes passed down from mother to daughter, father to son.

The group crowded around a small table and Robin fidgeted in his seat, it was unheard of to be out on the town wearing his uniform, at least in Gotham. Now he was wearing the new armored jumpsuit and mask while waiting at a table to be served. It felt a bit weird.

Of course with Beast Boy wearing his Doom Patrol uniform still Robin wasn't the only one drawing curious looks from the staff and other patrons. Cyborg was drawing a bit of attention with his prosthetics as well. He wondered what they thought of them.

"New York style so gooey and greasy..." Cyborg's mouth was watering as he folded one of the slices and took a bite.

"Great... I'm glad I brought antacid." Raven deadpanned as Beast Boy gobbled down a rather disgusting slice topped with just vegetables. It didn't even have cheese.

"It's not that bad." Robin said as he finished his first slice.

"Dude, you know where cheese comes from?" Beast Boy said. "Poor cows..."

"It tastes good, and you know dairy cows actually need to be milked or they start suffering." Robin said. "It's not like we hurt them to make cheese Beast Boy. They were bred for that."

"Whatever... If you think being hooked up to a pump is ethical treatment." Beast Boy flinched as Cyborg ate a large slice covered with pepperoni and sausage. "Dude!"

"What?" Cyborg said. "I need the protein."

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "How? It's not like you've got a whole lot of muscles to build up."

"Fine, I like the taste... I like being the planet's apex predator, okay?" Cyborg said. "And soy milk is disgusting, you know?"

"Is not." Beast Boy snapped.

Robin snorted. "It kind of is Beast Boy... you don't eat meat, or dairy. Fine... There's no need to try and force us to do the same."

"It's irritating." Raven said. "Plus... did you ever notice that carnivores tend to be smarter than herbivores?"

"Huh..." Beast Boy stared at her before suddenly standing up. "Are you telling me I'm stupid?"

"No." Raven said. "You came to that conclusion on your own."

"Raven!" Beast Boy sat down with a huff. "You could at least be nice."

"Whatever..." Raven said before daintily taking another bite from her pizza.

Robin sighed as he watched the group, unsure if he should try to mediate between the two of them. Cyborg took a long drink from his soda and burped.

"Nice." Beast Boy said.

"Disgusting." Raven said blandly.

A quiet slowly descended over the pizza parlor as the door clanged shot. Robin slowly turned and glanced toward the door. A black figure stood there, his face hidden behind a cowl and a scowl plastered on his face.

Beast Boy gasped as he saw the figure and Cyborg turned to look. Raven stared at him for a long moment and muttered under her breath. "Oh joy."

"Robin." The figure said as he stepped toward them. The other patrons were slowly backing away.

"Batman." Robin growled under his breath and stood from the table. "What do you want?"

His voice was hoarse from his work to keep it from being recognized. "I never thought you'd steal from me."

"I'd like to see you report the theft." Robin snorted.

"You didn't succeed in stopping the robbery." Batman stated flatly. "How many civilians lives did you risk with that entrance?"

"Fewer then you did the first time you went out." Robin growled and stepped toward the Batman. "So they got away, sometimes they do."

"I want the gear you stole returned." Batman said.

"Take it off me then." Robin snapped and pulled the bo staff from his utility belt.

Raven stood and Beast Boy did as well. Cyborg glanced between the two. "Oh hell no, I ain't fightin' Batman."

"Friends of yours?" Batman said.

"Something like that." Robin said. "I didn't think I could protect all of New York by myself."

"A team?" Batman snorted. "Let's see them then." Then he rushed forward and grabbed for Robin's utility belt.

Robin leapt back and swung his bo staff. Batman caught the metal pole in one gauntlet and twisted nearly wrenching it from his hand.

"Azarath… Metrion… Zin—" Raven's speech was cut off by a hiss of pain as a batarang slashed her hood. Her eyes went black just as Beast Boy transform, his body twisting into a snarling raptor that leapt toward the Batman.

A zap from a stun gun echoed in the pizza parlor and the Beast Boy dropped backwards twitching. Batman stepped back from him just as Robin leapt forward into a counterattack. His bo staff whistled through the air and Batman caught the blow on his arm. With a twist of his wrist, Robin clubbed Batman in the face.

A dining table laden with food slammed into Batman's back as Raven floated over the floor, her body sheathed in darkness. Batman staggered then whipped out a pair of batarangs, which whirled through the air. Raven hissed in pain as they cut her hoodie and scratched her arms breaking her concentration. She dropped to the floor and stumbled.

Robin leapt forward and struck Batman in the crotch. The Dark Knight just glared at him. "Reinforced."

_Damn Catwoman…_ Robin thought to himself as he slammed the opposite end of the bo staff toward his mentor's head. Batman blocked it with his gauntlet and struck Robin in the gut with his fist. Robin staggered back then slammed a roundhouse kick into the man's chest.

Batman was tossed back on the ground and Beast Boy staggered upright and snarled. Cyborg stepped back as the Dark Knight glared at the three facing him. "You can do better."

A grappling hook shot up and embedded itself in the ceiling and then the Dark Knight was yanked upward from the ground. Robin swore as a trio of smoke pellets slammed into the ground around them and he lost sight.

"You okay?" Robin as Beast Boy as he morphed back into his human form and grabbed his side groaning from the pain.

"No, that hurt." Beast Boy growled.

"Dude, what do you expect? It's Batman!" Cyborg said from off to the side. The room was empty of patrons now and the smoke had begun to dissipate. "Pickin' a fight with him is suicide!"

"He's outside." Raven said. "I think he's waiting for us."

Robin scowled. "Right, let's go. Raven, stay ranged and watch for batarangs. Beast Boy, you and me will close and engage him up close. Show him we can handle ourselves. Cyborg..."

"I'm stayin' out of it." He growled back. "Unless he decides to really hurt you."

"Fine, let's go!" Robin said and led them through the doors out onto the street. He skidded to a stop as he looked up and saw Batman staring down from the opposite rooftop. Immediately Robin pulled his grapple gun and was lifted up toward the ominous silhouette. Beast Boy morphed into a red-tailed hawk and flew upwards. Raven was enveloped in darkness once more. She lifted off and flew a dozen feet behind them, her eyes flashing white with power.

A batarang sliced through the air and Robin twisted out of the way. Beast Boy's hawk dove. A black shield flared before Raven and knocked the strike away.

Robin let go of his grapple and tumbled across the rooftop. He drew his bo staff at the end of the last roll and swung upward slamming into Batman's side. A second later Beast Boy dropped behind him and morphed into a red furred gorilla. He wrapped his arms around Batman and squeezed using the Gorilla's immense strength to restrain the legendary hero.

Electricity blazed through the Batman's suit and Beast Boy let go with a grunt before morphing to his normal form and falling on his rear with a moan. A black shield flared between him and the Batman as he struck on the staggered form of Beast Boy. The shield stopped the blow cold and Beast Boy morphed into a rabbit which leapt away, dancing left and right to remain a difficult target.

Robin's fist connected with the side of Batman's head and knocked him back, drawing the Dark Knight's attention. Robin's cheeks burned as Batman's cuffed him with a backhand and set him sprawling.

A sonic blast echoed on the rooftop and knocked Batman flat on his back. Cyborg stood at the side of the rooftop, his sonic cannon aimed straight at Batman's surprised form. "That's enough!"

"Give it up!" Robin yelled at Batman.

"I'll make you a deal." Batman growled as he straightened upright. "I'll let you have that gear, if you can crack a case over the next week."

Robin's eyes went wide. "You couldn't take it from me!"

"You're getting sloppy Robin!" Batman snapped as the dark black shape of the Bat lifted up from behind the building, its spotlight lighting up the whole group standing in the middle of the roof. "You want to step out of my shadow? Prove to me I shouldn't drag you home and take you over my knee!"

"What if I break that case?" Robin asked, his fingers twitching toward his batarangs on the belt.

"Then I'll support you." Batman stated flatly, his gaze flicking to the three other teens standing behind Robin. "And your team."

"What kind of support can you offer? I've already been turned down by your Justice League." Raven growled.

"The League has its rules, I have mine." Batman stated with a growl. "I can offer facilities, financial support, and equipment. You think this costume is cheap?"

"So… you're loaded, and you'll share with us?" Cyborg said from behind his sonic cannon.

"If you break this case." Batman said. "Catch the Ravager… the robbery you interrupted is the fifth in last two weeks carried out by that gang."

"Fine." Robin said. He collapsed his bo staff and stepped forward. "You won't interfere?"

"No." Batman said.

"Shake on it?" Robin asked offering his hand.

Batman glared for a moment before taking the hand. "Find him, break the gang, and then we'll talk about payment for that motorcycle." Robin scowled and a slight smirk tugged at Batman's lips before he stepped back. The cockpit of the bat opened. "I'll be watching." Batman said before stepping onto the craft and clambering up into the cockpit.

The bat roared before lifting into the air and then blasting away into the night. Robin watched it disappear from sight and slowly turned to the others. "Everybody alright?"

"Are you kidding… he zapped me!" Beast Boy said as he rubbed his side. "That TAZER thing hurts, and he did it twice!"

"Stop complaining." Raven grumbled. "If you haven't noticed, we just fought Batman."

Beast Boy's eyes suddenly went wide. "We did didn't we… to a standstill even!"

"You kidding, he kicked your butts." Cyborg said. "You didn't really start getting the upper hand till I helped."

"So… we still just fought Batman. That's awesome!" Beast Boy said.

Robin sighed. "He'll be back though… I'll see what I can find out about this Ravager." He ran a hand through his spiky hair and sighed. "And I suppose I better go pay for damages."

"Halo tonight?" Beast Boy asked.

Raven arched an eyebrow.

Robin sighed. "We'll see. We've only got a week to catch those guys. I'll see if I can find out anything."

"I'll call you." Cyborg said. "Around nine and see if you're up for it, okay?"

"Fine." Robin said and pointed his grappling hook to the opposite building. "I'll call you soon enough."

"I'm going home, call me if anything happens." Raven droned before disappearing in a sphere of darkness.

* * *

Raven emerged in her dimly lit apartment and pulled back her hood. She could feel fear screaming in her mind begging to take over with bravery sitting atop her kicking form trying to keep her in check. Her heart was racing as she remembered the fight with the Batman. He was good.

Far better than she'd imagined, and Robin was nearly as good… She felt like she'd almost made no difference in the fight, the two of them only managing to level the playing field until Cyborg's entry into the fray.

And he wasn't a metahuman.

Raven slumped onto her bed and let out an exhausted sigh. "This hero stuff is going to be harder than I thought."

She pulled a set of matches from the pocket of her hoodie and lit the candle beside her bed. The thick and heady aroma of incense filled the room as she took a deep breath. "Control… I need control. Fear shall not control me… fear is anger's herald… I shall not welcome it." She closed her eyes and focused inward.

"Azarath… metrion… zinthos."

* * *

"Aww dude, my head is pounding." Beast Boy groaned as he stumbled into the small living room of Cyborg's apartment.

Cyborg rolled his eyes. "Oh stop complainin', you just went ten rounds with Batman and aren't sitting in the hospital. I think we got off light." He stepped over to the couch and sat down. "There's an ice pack in the fridge if it's really botherin' you."

"I'll be all right." Beast Boy muttered before dropping into the couch beside Cyborg. "Some more Halo?"

"Sure…" Cyborg said. "Unless you want to switch it up?"

"Well what other games have you got?" Beast Boy asked. Cyborg smirked as the drawer under the Xbox slid open revealing dozens of different titles. Beast Boy's eyes went wide and he stared at the selection. "Dude!"

"So… what you wanna play?" Cyborg asked with a smirk.

* * *

"Azarath metrion zinthos…" Rachel muttered under her breath and took a deep breath letting the calming incense fill her senses. Despite that, she felt taut, stretched. A part of her was simmering under the surface angry at the skirmish that had ended in a draw. Her hood had cuts from Batman's weapons and she could feel bruises on her legs from when she'd fallen. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.

"Azarath… metrion… zinthos…" Raven said.

Calm, a center… her mind suppressed the emotions she sensed surrounding her, deadening them. She began to focus instead on her own self, the emotions that she had suppressed all her life. Anger had flared from the defeat, but not enough to break free. It was the most dangerous of her emotions… feral and violent. She'd always struggled against it.

Happiness seemed subdued, and her bravery a bit battered. Her depressed self was emboldened by the defeat, speaking more pitifully and vocally than usual. She heard them all and bound them, quieting them as she had the foreign emotions her senses had caught.

"Azarath… metrion… zinthos…"

She opened her eyes and slowly floated up from the floor, her eyes glowing softly. Then she let out a sigh and settled back to the floor. "It has been a tiring day." She muttered.

* * *

Dick closed the door behind him and tore off his mask. Fury blazed across his face as he thought back to the encounter a half hour earlier with Batman. A week wasn't a lot of time to break a case, let alone make an arrest. Sure Batman had taken down criminals in less time, but he knew Gotham like the back of his hand.

"Fuck." Dick said as he slouched over to the couch and tossed his utility belt on it. He peeled off the armored jumpsuit and winced as he felt the bruises complain. His temple throbbed and jaw ached. He hoped Bruce was in just as much pain.

He dropped onto the couch in his underwear and sighed. He stared up at the ceiling and closed his eyes. The parlor's proprietor had been rather understanding once he'd paid for the damages to the establishment. He wondered if they'd be welcomed back.

_I need help._ Dick thought as he wiped the sweat from his brow. He didn't have connections in the city, at least not yet. With a scowl he got up, stumbled over to the small table in the kitchen, and sat down behind the laptop. He typed in his password and sighed.

_Fuck it, it's another gauntlet. Will he ever stop testing me_? Robin growled and quickly opened up Skype and placed a call.

A moment later, a familiar blue eyed and red haired girl stared back at him. "Dick? Jesus, you look like hell. What happened?"

"Ask Bruce." Robin growled. "He did it."

"Oh hell, he came after you?" Barbara Gordon asked. "That asshole!"

"Me and my friends managed to fight him to a standstill but... he gave me an ultimatum. Break the Ravager case in a week or he'd drag me home."

"Fuck!" Babs snapped and sat back on the screen.

"No kidding, I don't have any connections here yet... and crap for resources. I need help." Robin said.

"What about your new friends?" Babs asked.

Robin rolled his eyes. "Do they seem like detective types to you?"

Babs snorted and shook her head. "Alright, I'll see what information I can get you. Did Bruce give you anything to work with?"

"Five other robberies by the same gang in the last two weeks is all. Could you get me the police reports for those and the one we crashed?"

"Sure thing, I'll e-mail them to you once I got them." Babs said. "You okay?"

"No, but I will be." Robin said as he rubbed the welt on his chin. "Bruce hits really fucking hard."

"He's stronger then you and more experienced." Babs said and shrugged. "You still kick my ass."

"Glad to know you admit it." Robin said and sighed. "I'll see what I can figure out from what I saw at the bank."

"Right, take care of yourself Dick." Babs said and the connection cut off.

Robin scowled and opened up the internet browser, quickly hunting down news reports of bank robberies over the last two weeks. He'd opened up Google Earth in a second window and began to mark each of the banks and when they'd been held up.

As he was finishing the listing, the e-mail alert popped up and Robin quickly opened the attachments filled with the police reports for each bank robbery.

Their MO was straightforward. They'd smash into a bank with guns and explosives, tear through the teller's cash before blowing the safe with military explosives and stealing as much as they could carry in duffle bags. The takes in each case were large enough to fund most gangs for months at a time, but then most gangs weren't using military explosives and fully automatic weapons.

Their getaway vehicle was always a stolen food truck, usually one reported stolen within twenty-four hours of the heist and found abandoned on the Jersey shore the next day wiped down with ammonia and bleach. The New York CSI hadn't yet pulled a definite print from the trucks or a single hair. This gang was really thorough and professional in their approach.

That made them dangerous.

Robin skimmed through the police interviews with those that had been captured in the last bank heist and found his brow furrowing in anger. They'd given very little up besides calling themselves Ravagers or their leader's alias of Ravager. Their equipment had been of soviet make, mostly the older AKM Kalashnikovs. The ammunition that had been recovered from the scene added another dimension to the investigation.

It was all of modern Russian make, and a few rounds had been found to be the brand new 7.62x39 Armor Piercing round that had been developed for Spetz Naz. It meant that they had a dedicated arms supplier and Robin guessed that a large slice of their takes from the robberies had gone to equipment on the black market.

He ignored the phone call from Cyborg and concentrated on the information laid out for him on the computer. The hours slowly ticked away as he studied the information. The morning light began to filter in the windows Robin suddenly stood.

There had been a pattern in the robberies, they'd never hit the same bank twice so far... instead they'd gone for another one. After each robbery they'd switch to a bank a block or two south of the previous target. It was an obvious pattern, and another obvious part of the pattern was their timing.

Thus far every robbery had been between nine and ten in the morning, when the traffic was thickest and the bank least crowded. The thick traffic delayed the police response and the fewer people in the bank, the less likely they'd meet much resistance. The attacks seemed to happen every three days.

All this information came together at once and Robin stared at the map. He put a single marker on the map. "Chase Bank on Sixty-First Street, tomorrow between nine and ten."

He stood and strolled into the bedroom and flopped down. He closed his eyes. "We'll be there."

* * *

In Gotham, Batgirl sat on the edge of a crumbling apartment's roof. Her boots dangled over the side and she kicked them in boredom. The dim orange glow of the rising sun caught her eye and she sighed.

"Long night?" Batman asked from the shadow of the roof access. Babs didn't even bother to turn toward him.

"No, no more than usual." She answered and shrugged her shoulders. "A couple muggers handed to the police… How did your trip to New York go?"

He didn't answer and Babs bit her lip. "I talked to him before the patrol… really? You had to go beat the shit out of him?" She glared at the figure. "Is tormenting your adopted son really so important to you?"

"What happens between Dick and me is none of your concern." Batman answered.

Babs rolled her eyes. "He's my friend…" She glanced back toward the figure and he was gone. She growled under her breath and stood. "Asshole."


	3. A Team Assembles

_Author's Note: I'm releasing this ahead of schedule since... well, you guys got a week with nothing from me thanks to how the days fell this month, so enjoy.  
_

* * *

**Titans Reimagined #1: Starfall**

* * *

**Chapter 3: A Team Assembles**

* * *

Robin woke as his stomach made a rumble of complaint. He wasn't sure how long he'd lain asleep, but the sun was clearly up out the window. Grumbling to himself he rolled out of bed and staggered to the living room.

The room was bathed in sunlight from the set of windows that overlooked the park. The occasional muffled honk of a cab horn filtered up from the streets below and Robin groaned as he looked up into the sky and saw how high the sun had risen in the sigh.

"Hell." He rubbed his face and stumbled to the refrigerator before stopping. "Crap, I haven't got anything in there yet." He sighed and sat down on the couch. As he leaned back the phone atop the coffee table rumbled and he snatched it from the ground. "What?"

"Dude! You just wake up?" Beast Boy's cheeky voice answered.

Robin growled in his throat. "Maybe... I was working most of the night."

"That's not healthy man." Cyborg's voice came through the line. "You hungry, BB is beggin' to be fed again."

Robin snorted. "Hell, since my fridge is still empty... why not? You know a good place Cy?"

"Well, let's see... we've had mexican and pizza... how bout a barbeque joint?"

"Dude! I'm a vegan, is there anything at a place like that I could eat?" Beast Boy snapped. "Come on man... how about a sushi place?"

Robin groaned and rubbed his forehead. "Honestly I don't care. Have either of you talked to Raven at all?"

"Uh... no, she's kind of creepy, you know?" Beast Boy said.

"Guys... get her on the phone and we'll talk. I've got to get a shower..." Robin said. "Oh, and I think I know where those robbers will strike next."

"Awesome!" Beast Boy said.

Cyborg chuckled. "Man, I guess that's what you were doing all night then?"

"Something like that." Robin said and stood up. "Listen, give me fifteen minutes to shower and call Rachel, alright?"

"Whose Rachel?" Beast Boy asked.

Robin groaned. "It's Raven's real name BB... I've got to go." He snapped shut his cell phone and wandered to the bathroom.

The warm water battering his back felt heavenly, and only a few of his bruises and muscles ached after the powerful spray hammered at them for a few moments. He quickly washed his hair and soaped up. As the water washed away the dirt, sweat, and grime he knew he'd picked up from the long night and fight Robin closed his blue eyes and sighed. He was contemplating staying in the shower for the rest of his day when the phone rang again.

Apparently fifteen minutes had passed as Robin stumbled to it, dripping all over the carpet. He held it up to his ear. "I should have told you to wait for me to call you guys back."

"Easy there... you okay Rob?" Cyborg answered.

Robin sighed. "Yeah... I'm okay, just tired and I started wondering if anyone knows where I can find a nice hot tub to soak in."

"That does sound good." Raven's monotone answered. "They have been arguing about where to go since they called me."

"No kidding." Robin grumbled and wandered over to his duffle bag. "Give me a couple minutes to dry off and get dressed. I'll set the phone on speaker so I can hear you guys."

"I still say sushi is good!" Beast Boy said.

Robin scowled as he could practically hear Raven's eyes roll. "Beast Boy, sushi is usually fish, you don't eat fish."

"So, California Rolls use artificial crab meat. That's good!" Beast Boy answered.

Robin snorted as he tossed his towel to the floor and pulled out a clean set of clothes. He grabbed some underwear, a white t-shirt, a light grey hoodie, and some baggie pants as Raven snorted in amusement.

"Artificial crab meat is reprocessed Cod. It's actually meat Beast Boy." Raven stated.

"What! No way! Why would they call it artificial crab meat?" Beast Boy yelled.

Robin snorted. "She's right BB."

"Fine, I'll settle for inari then." Beast Boy harrumphed. "You guys can have the sushi."

"Honestly... I just want something to eat." Robin said as he pulled on his underwear. "Burgers would be fine with me."

"But..." Beast Boy grumbled.

"Most burger places have salads Beast Boy." Robin said. "Or you can just eat the fries."

"Fine..." Beast Boy said with an exasperated tone.

"Is it just me or is this form of argument likely to become a facet of life?" Raven asked in a bored tone.

"Definitely." Robin and Cyborg said together.

"Oh joy." She muttered sarcastically.

"Well, there's a Five Guys near here... I'll meet you there." Cyborg said. "If you can find it."

"I think I can manage." Robin said as he pulled on his T-shirt.

"See you in a bit then." Cyborg said and then hung up.

* * *

Barbara Gordon rubbed her forehead and tossed aside the empty bottle of Five Hour Energy she'd just downed before reaching for the large coffee she'd grabbed from the Gotham College Coffee shop.

"I wonder if Dick's up already?" She muttered. Her fingers tapped the laptop and she rubbed her eyes beneath the set of glasses she wore. It was lucky the cowl corrected her vision for her... wearing glasses into a fight was just begging for trouble.

She sighed as the latest global news appeared on the monitor and blinked her eyes. "Watchtower... watchtower... militarization of space... Green Lantern statement..." She grumbled under her breath before tapping an article. "Oh yes... Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle spotted together again..." She rolled her eyes then pulled up a blank document. She had a paper for class due tomorrow, and her father always wanted to make sure she maintained that damn 4.0...

Hell Batman did too... the asshole.

* * *

"Okay... where is he?" Beast Boy asked as he twisted in his seat as he nibbled on the peanuts that were out on each of the tables.

"Give him time, he just rolled out of bed when we called, remember?" Cyborg said and rolled his eyes. "How are you feeling anyway?"

"Just achy... guess that stun thingy isn't meant to hurt for long." Beast Boy said before popping another peanut in his mouth. "What about you?"

"He cut up my favorite hoodie." Raven stated before sighing. "I do have a few bruises, but nothing worse."

"Hey guys!" A familiar voice said and Beast Boy spun toward the source. A teen with wrap around shades and spiked black hair walked up beside them and smirked. He wore a light grey hoodie and baggy blue pants.

"Do... I know you?" Beast Boy asked.

"It's Robin you idiot." Raven said in a low voice.

Beast Boy stared at him in shock before declaring. "Oh man, now I stand out with this uniform!"

"Hey BB... my cybernetics aren't exactly subtle, are they?" Cyborg said with a snort.

"You guys order yet?" Robin asked as he sat down beside them.

"No... we've been waiting on the guy with big bucks." Cyborg said with a smirk.

Beast Boy stared at the menu and growled. "Dude, I thought you said burger places had salad!"

"Most do... Five Guys is an exception." Robin said as he glanced at the menu. "Get a Veggie Sandwich BB... It's the only thing I see that you'll eat."

"Fine... the fries aren't cooked in fat are they?" Beast Boy snapped.

"No... The city has a no trans-fat law... they don't do stuff like that here." Cyborg said. "I like trans-fat!"

"I suppose being a cyborg keeps your arteries from clogging." Raven stated.

"The fries are cooked in peanut oil, it says right there." Robin pointed to the menu. "Plus they give you a lot of fries when you order."

"Oh yeah... a whole sack full sometimes BB, and their Cajun fries... they're awesome." Cyborg said.

Robin shrugged. "Okay, your orders?"

"Veggie sandwich with a large order of regular fries." Beast Boy grumbled.

Cyborg licked his lips. "I'll take a bacon cheeseburger with grilled onions, bar-b-que sauce, lettuce, and tomatoes."

Raven sighed. "A little bacon cheeseburger with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, and mayo."

"I'll be back." Robin said and headed off to the counter to order. He came back with four cups and sat down with a tired sigh.

"Long night." Raven stated.

"Yeah, I found out the location those robbers will probably hit next. I'll go and check out their security later." He rubbed his eyes beneath the shades and sighed.

"We'll help." Cyborg said with a smirk before grabbing his cup.

"Thanks guys... I appreciate it." Robin said with a slight smile. "How are you two feeling?" He asked Raven and Beast Boy.

"Bruised..." Raven stated.

Beast Boy rubbed his shoulder. "A bit achy."

"You think you'll be combat capable in case we end up in a fight?" Robin asked. The two nodded and Robin sighed in relief. "Good."

"You don't think they'll hit the bank today while we're there do you?" Beast Boy asked.

"No... They usually hit banks between nine and ten in the morning. I think they'll hit it tomorrow morning." Robin said.

"Aww man... I'll have to get up." Beast Boy grumbled.

"Order 119!" The kid behind the counter called and Robin stood to get their food.

"Hey Cy... you think our leader is okay?" Beast Boy asked.

Raven closed her eyes. "He's just tired Beast Boy."

"How do you know girl?" Cyborg asked. "Come to think of it, how'd you know the Batman was waiting for you outside last night?"

"I'm an empath... I can read surface thoughts, though for more than that I need to concentrate." Raven glanced at Beast Boy. "It can be rather irritating with people that wear their emotions on their sleeve."

"Hey! I resemble that remark." Beast Boy said and grinned as her lip twitched as if holding back a smile. "Come on... you can do it Rae... smile!"

"Don't start." She muttered before Robin returned with the food.

Beast Boy took a bite of his fries and his eyes went wide. "Dude!"

"Good fries aren't they." Cyborg said.

"The best." Beast Boy said.

"Now... the robbers have a pattern I figured out last night." Robin said as he pulled out a small map of Manhattan isle. "They've been hitting a bank once every two days, moving from the north to south. Their next target will be here... the bank on 61st street."

"Dude... you figured that out last night?" Beast Boy asked.

"Actually, thanks to a friend I got ahold of the crime scene reports for the other robberies too... From the shell casings and equipment shown they've probably got a black market arms supplier..." Robin said. "No idea who it is yet, in Gotham it'd be Black Mask or Penguin but I don't know if there's anyone like that in New York."

"Not that I know of..." Cyborg said and furrowed his brow at the map. "What's the plan?"

"Well, we stop the bank robbery and place a tracer on their getaway vehicle. Follow them back to their lair, capture them, and call in the NYPD." Robin said with a shrug. "They apparently always steal a food truck for the getaway vehicle."

Cyborg nodded. "Simple enough... now how do we execute that plan?"

"First we'll scope out the bank to figure out how would be the best way to stop the robbery, where their getaway vehicle will probably be, how we should fight them and all that..." Robin ran a hand through his hair. "I've got tracers and other place-able sensors we can use to track the getaway car."

"Okay, I can scout out the place as a mouse or something... get a good look at the layout and so forth." Beast Boy said.

"I can get a hypersonic mapping device into the back pretty easy." Robin said. "Then we'll have a good idea of the layout of the vault area."

"I'll check out their digital surveillance and security systems." Cyborg said.

"And I can keep a lookout for anyone scoping the place while we are." Raven said.

"How?" Robin asked.

"I can sense intentions... it's hard to scope a place for a robbery and not have malicious thoughts." Raven said.

"Nice... do you think you could use some help on the intelligence gathering front Cy?"

"Sure, why not?" Cyborg said.

Robin smirked and pulled out his cell phone dialing a familiar number. "Babs?"

* * *

Barbara Gordon sighed as the phone rang and she picked it up. "What? I'm finishing up a paper."

"Sorry Babs…" Robin's voice answered and she sighed. "I guess I caught you at a bad time."

"It's okay Dick, I had a long night." She ran a hand through her hair and picked up her glasses. With a sigh, she slipped them on and took a deep breath. "You get somewhere or do you need me to figure these guys out?"

"No, I've figured out a pattern in the robberies. I was wondering if you wanted to help us canvas their next target." Robin answered.

"Oh, I could do that… you want me to hack their security and blueprints?" Barbara asked.

"Exactly."

* * *

The Chase Bank was on the corner of 61st and Broadway. Robin glanced around at the nearby high-rises and shook his head at one of the Trump Towers just down the block. As he pulled open the door he glanced around at the polish flooring and varnished wood of the furnishings. A single security guard stood looking bored by the door as he entered, but Robin could feel the man's eyes on his back.

Of course wearing his white hoodie, wrap around shades, and a baggy pair of jeans made Robin the Boy Wonder have an appearance like that of a hoodlum. Still even the eagle eyes of the security guard easily missed the blue tooth phone clipped to his ear, or dismissed it out of hand.

"Well, I got a dozen odd patrons in the lobby right now, about six tellers working and just one security guard. You'd have thought they'd hire more with those robberies going on." Robin said into the microphone.

"Yeah, but it takes too long for them to go through the security checks on new hires, even if they did hire one he wouldn't be cleared for work until that came through." Bab's voice crackled through the line.

"My scans are picking up all sorts of sensors and the wiring for the silent alarm." Cyborg's voice cut in. "You sure this is the place they'll be hitting next?"

"Positive." Robin answered. "Keep a lookout too guys, they may have someone canvasing the place as well."

"So that's what we're doing… great." Raven's monotone cut in. "I don't detect anyone with malevolent intentions… except the security guard every time he looks at you Robin."

"Yeah he really doesn't like the punk kid with the spiky hair, huh?" Cyborg joked.

Robin snickered before running a hand through his hair. "Oh come on, it's not that bad."

"I like the spiky hair." Babs said with a smile in her voice. "Makes him seem more carefree than daddy Bats."

"Please, it's impossible to be as obsessive as he is." Robin said as he strolled up to the counter.

A teller glanced up at him. "How can I help you?"

"Yeah, I'd like to rent a safety deposit box." Robin said as he pulled out a pen. The woman blinked at him in surprise before quickly nodding and setting a rather large pile of paperwork out on a clipboard.

"Just fill this out and I'll see about getting it." The teller said with a smile.

Robin nodded and walked over to one of the islands and began to fill out the paperwork. "Date of birth… date of rental… social security number or terran identification number…" He grumbled to himself.

"Just don't actually say those out loud… your identity is a secret, remember?" Babs teased him as he quickly wrote in his name and emancipated status.

Robin rolled his eyes as he finished writing it up and signed with a flourish. He walked back to the counter and set the paperwork down. The woman looked up at him in surprise. "Finished already?"

"Yeah, it's not that bad." Robin said and thought back to some of the more complicated forms he'd encountered in his life. Batman had insisted on showing him how to do his own taxes at one point. That had been classically anal-retentive and typically Batman.

"Alright, I'll just bring out the box to you." She said and walked back toward the vault. Inwardly Robin cursed, it'd have been better if she'd brought him back so he'd be able to get a decent look around the vault area, but at least it showed they had some security in place.

She returned with the typical square box and handed him a key. With a shrug Robin opened the box, pulled a small cell phone from his pocket, and dropped it inside along with a fake signet ring and five hundred dollars cash. He slipped a half dozen bat-a-rangs in as well, hidden amongst the cash. Then he locked the box and handed it over to the teller. "Thank you."

"You're welcome Mr. Grayson." She said with a smile before strolling out of sight with the box. Robin shrugged as he walked out the bank and pulled his real phone from another pocket. He let out a sigh that it seemed none of the others had caught the name.

"Robin, what was the whole thing with the safety deposit box about?" Cyborg asked as Robin stopped beside him.

He smirked and tapped a button on his phone, a moment later a three dimensional image of the vault and back rooms appeared and he showed it to cyborg. "Sonic sensor disguised as a cell phone."

"Nice… we done here?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah… Babs did you get some schematics?" Robin asked as Raven walked up and a red-feathered pigeon fluttered onto her shoulder.

"Yeah, I got some. I think anything I missed Cyborg can fill in." She answered.

"Alright, why don't you guys come with me… we can print out the schematics and figure out what to do… and I'll get you guys supper for a change." Cyborg offered.

"Awesome." Raven said in her flat monotone while the pigeon on her shoulder bobbed its head. She glared at it for a moment.

The group made their way through the city to Cyborg's apartment and settled in as he printed off the schematics the group had compiled.

Robin nodded as Cyborg sat down on the couch and spread out the schematics and blueprints he'd managed to assemble. Across from him, Beast Boy cocked his head as he stared at the vast assembly of blueprints looking rather confused. "Umm... is this supposed to make sense?"

"They're blueprints man... you mean you never looked at blueprints when you were in that Doom Patrol? Didn't you guys have like... I dunno briefings or something?" Cyborg said.

"Mento... well, he sort of micromanaged me. Told me what to turn into and stuff." Beast Boy scratched the back of his head. "It's kind of why I left."

Robin arched an eyebrow. "Okay, well I suppose I can explain how to read this if I need to." He glanced at the tablet computer that Cyborg had set down beside the blueprints. It showed a satellite view of the intersection of 61st and Broadway. Robin quickly scanned over the blueprints. "Okay, inside the bank is spread out over two stories, the second story is almost all offices so we probably won't have to worry about it. If they decide to deploy up there they can rain fire down on anyone storming through the lobby."

"They don't really have time to do that." Bab's voice crackled through the cell phone. "If they get slowed down enough that the cops get there and block off their escape... they'd have a hostage situation and the NYPD has a pretty good SWAT team."

"So, we can ignore the second floor." Raven said. "If they follow the same pattern we saw they'll just storm the place through the front doors, take down the security guard, blow the safe and grab as much money as they can."

"Simple and straightforward relying on overwhelming firepower and surprise." Robin chewed on his lip for a moment. "We should try and prevent them getting in the safe or... trap them inside it."

"We'll need to get their explosives from them then." Raven said. "I could teleport into the hall outside the vault." She tapped the point on the blueprints. "Snatch their duffels and slam the vault door on them."

"I don't like the idea of you being there by yourself." Robin said with a scowl. "We should pair off to maximize our effectiveness." He glanced at Raven. "Can you take someone with you when you teleport?"

"Yes, though it becomes more difficult the more people I take along." Raven said.

Robin nodded and pursed his lips, Raven was better at range, it'd be best to send her with a brawler... "Beast Boy, you willing to go along with Raven?"

Beast Boy's eyes widened a bit. "Me?"

"Yes, you." Robin said and smirked a bit. "I figure Cyborg and I will bust in the front once the robbery starts. He's more of ranged combatant and Raven is better at a distance. You're more of a brawler, so I think either you or me would be best going with her."

"Oh..." Beast Boy shrugged. "It'll be fun."

"Now... Cyborg and I will breach the windows and enter the lobby once the whole robbery starts. I figure we'll want to make a bit of an entrance to spook them." Robin glanced at the satellite images. "I think I know how to do that. You ever go repelling Cyborg?"

"Nah... I played football, baseball, basketball... never really did anything like repelling." Cyborg said. "How are we going to breach the window?"

Robin picked up the utility belt and pulled a black device that looked vaguely like a collapsible rifle. "I can fire a detonator onto the window from across Broadway. It's something Batman came up with... great for breaching from a distance."

"Wait... you're going to be across the street when you breach the window?" Beast Boy asked. "How are you getting across Broadway?"

"Grapple line... I looked at the angles and I can swing through the window pretty easy from across the street." Robin smirked at the dumbfounded expressions on the others.

"Batman made you crazy, didn't he?" Cyborg said. "I'll just stand off to the side and wait for you to blow the window then. Plus, that close I can hack their security cameras."

"Sounds good." Robin leaned back in his seat. "Babs... your thoughts?"

"It's a fine plan. Of course no plan survives contact." Barbara's voice was filled with mirth. "I asked dad and managed to find you a detective in the NYPD that's willing to work with you... or at least dad thinks he'd work with Batman or Robin."

"Great Babs... we can call the NYPD in easier then, send me his contact info in an e-mail." Robin said. "You know... when you're doing this sort of work I think your username is a better callsign then... Batgirl."

She laughed. "I suppose so... Oracle, I kind of like that."

"It's something to think about." Robin said.

"So... we got a plan, now what?" Beast Boy asked.

"Well... relax, get some sleep... be sure to get to the bank before nine tomorrow. I'll call you all around eight to make sure you're all up." Robin glanced at Cyborg. "Anything else?"

"Nah... Oh, I got a nice big pair of lasagna's in the oven. You two want to stick around for dinner?" Cyborg asked.

"You can cook?" Raven asked as she arched an eyebrow.

"I live by myself, of course I can cook." Cyborg said as he glanced around the group. "Robin, can you cook?"

"Yeah." Robin smirked slightly. Alfred had made sure to teach him how to take care of himself, not that Bruce knew how to cook a decent meal. Alfred however was a master chief and had passed on a number of 'family' secrets to him. "I guess I'll have to cook you guys something when I get to actually getting some groceries. What about you Raven?"

"No." She said.

"You can't cook?" Beast Boy asked. "Even I know how to cook?"

"Yeah... except all you cook is that damn tofu crap." Cyborg grumbled. "I don't know how you eat that junk for breakfast."

"Maybe we should meet somewhere near the bank for breakfast?" Rachel suggested.

"Good idea... I don't remember seeing much in the way of restaurants around there though." Robin said.

"There's a Starbucks on 60th and Broadway, you could get a muffin and a coffee there." Oracle suggested.

"Starbucks isn't really much for breakfast, but I think meeting there at eight-thirty for a coffee and a quick review would be perfect." Robin said. "If you want more than muffins you can eat at home then."

"That's a plan then... I'll check up on the lasagna!" Cyborg stood and headed to the kitchen.

Robin shrugged and leaned back. "Well... what should we do while we wait for Cyborg's lasagna."

"Halo!" Beast Boy shouted and stumbled toward the television. "I so want to beat Oracle now!"

"I'm game." Her voice answered through the speakerphone. "Got to get off around nine though... Batman wants me out on patrol."

"Maybe you should sleep then." Robin said.

"Nah... I can beat Beast Boy a couple times before I take a nap. Plus... I'm a college student. I can sleep in class." Babs answered.

Robin laughed as he followed Beast Boy. "Alright then, let's play."

* * *

The next morning, Robin sat hunched over a coffee cup in the Starbucks letting the steaming hot coffee smell wash over him and wake him up. He was the first one there, though that wasn't really much of a surprise in retrospect, the others were new to the hero business and honestly... they weren't the team leader.

He had to be there first.

It was a bit of a surprise to find Raven settling in across from him just a few minutes after his arrival with a toasted waffle wrapped in a napkin in one hand and a steaming cup of tea in her other hand. She nibbled on the waffle without speaking, simply letting him know she was there.

Raven was quite a different person then he expected from what he recalled from Batman's files on metahumans. The whole classification of the human race that the Justice League used was a bit of a complication as well... homo saipen, homo magi, homo marie, and so forth... Of course there was also the handful of non-human entries in the files: Superman wasn't human apparently and his file listed him as such... Krypto homini, really could the authorities figure out a better set of scientific naming conventions for aliens?

Martian Manhunter was probably quite amused with his classification as martia venator. Really, Martian Hunter, he shook his head from his thoughts as Raven stared at him for a long moment.

"Something amusing?" She asked.

"Just thinking about the stupid scientific names the Justice League and Metahuman authorities gave out." Robin said with a shrug. "I know Latin and some Greek so I know exactly what they mean."

"I take it you know about my... ancestry then." Raven said quietly.

Robin sighed. "Yeah, I do... though you're a lot different than what I expected for someone that was half-demon." He ran a hand through his spiky hair and shrugged. "Of course I don't know many people that could claim to be... though some of the guys I've fought were certainly evil enough to claim to be a demon."

Raven glanced out the window. "I may be half-demon but I was raised amongst the people of Azarath... a sort of magical dimension separate from our reality." She sighed. "I learned to suppress my emotions in order to control any demonic tendencies."

"Okay." Robin said. "That's why you seem so stoic then?"

"Seem?" She arched an eyebrow.

"I know you're not emotionless, anyone that can deliver biting sarcasm must have emotions." Robin said.

"True." Raven said as the door banged open and the two remaining members of the team stumbled in. Beast Boy looked exhausted with circles around his eyes and a clear droop in his stance. "I guess Beast Boy stayed up too late."

"Kid Flash joined the server right before Babs left. We had fun chasing him down." Cyborg said as he walked up to them. "I'll get some coffee for a proper wake-up."

"It looks like Beast Boy needs it." Robin glanced at the kid as he pulled out a seat and dropped into it.

"I'll get him a double shot then." Cyborg said before walking off to place his order.

Beast Boy sat his head on the table and closed his eyes. A moment later soft snores came from where he lay. Raven glanced at him and sighed before running a hand through his messy red hair. "He's going to be a lot of help today."

"He'll be fine. Nothing wakes me up quite like adrenaline." Robin said and adjusted his cape before leaning back in the chair. "You could always wake him somehow."

"Tempting." Raven said before taking a sip of her herbal tea and relaxing. A soft whimper came from where Beast Boy slept and Robin thought he saw his ear twitch. Maybe he was having a dream as an animal.

"How are you two this morning?" Cyborg asked as he sat down beside them with his and Beast Boy's coffee. "Tired?"

"Still a bit sore from Batman." Robin said and took a drink of his coffee.

Raven nodded. "I still haven't completely gotten rid of the bruises." She glanced at Beast Boy and rolled her eyes. "Maybe you should just dump that coffee on his head Cyborg. It'd wake him up I'm sure."

Robin chuckled and Cyborg shook Beast Boy's shoulder. "Buddy, I got coffee, it's got soy milk just like you insist upon." He said and slowly Beast Boy opened one green eye. "Double shot, wake up and go."

"Thanks." Beast Boy said before grabbing the cup and sitting upright. He took a long sip and smiled. "Thanks Cy..."

Cyborg drank his own coffee and nodded. Robin glanced around the group. "Okay, anything you guys want to go over?"

"Nah, I'm good." Cyborg said.

Raven nodded once and Beast Boy took another sip of his coffee. "I'm ready Robin, just give the word."

"Right, I should be able to place the tracking device as soon as they arrive." Robin said and he finished his cup of coffee. "You stick with your partners and protect them. Capturing these guys is secondary right now. We want them to lead us to their lair. You should focus on keeping casualties down, that's first and foremost in this, understood?"

There were nods around the group and Robin smiled before pulling out his cell phone and checking the time. "It's... fifteen minutes until the bank opens. Let's get into position."

They stood and paired off. Cyborg took a position outside the bank, his cybernetics hidden behind his large hoodie and baggy jeans. He leaned against the wall of the bank and watched the traffic pass by, keeping one eye out for food trucks.

Robin climbed up to the roof of the building across Broadway from the bank and tapped his mask activating the integrated binoculars and directional microphone as he watched Cyborg and the stream of patrons going in and out of the bank.

Raven and Beast Boy sat down with Robin and sipped their coffee waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"So Rae... how's this teleportation thing work anyway?" Beast Boy asked.

Raven rolled her eyes. "How's your shape-shifting work?"

"Uh..." He scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "It's complicated... wait, you just turned that around on me. Come on Rae, how's it work?"

"It's complicated." She answered deadpan and her lips twitched into a slight smirk as Beast Boy choked.

"Oh come on!" Beast Boy said before draining his coffee cup. "Is it magic or what?"

"It's magic..." Raven said.

"Quiet." Robin hissed from where he stood. "There's a food truck heading this way."

"Get ready." Raven said.

Beast Boy nodded. "I was born ready Rae!"

Robin leaned over the edge of the roof and watched the food truck slam to a stop beside the bank. Its back door burst open and armed men clad in ski masks stormed out. He felt his lip twitch into a smile as he pulled out the grapple gun and collapsible device launcher. He sighted in quick and fired a GPS tracker that slammed into the top of the truck's roof and stuck there. Then he aimed toward the window as the robbers smashed through the door and the first crackle of gunfire echoed from the building. "They're in the door."

Another thump and the detonator soared through the air to slap against the window and start its countdown. Robin smirked. "Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, the detonator is set. Go when it blows!"

"Right." Raven said as she grabbed Beast Boy by the shoulder.

Robin lifted his grapple gun to the opposite building and fired. With a yank he felt the line go taught and he stepped off the roof.

The wind roared in his ears as he arced down toward the bank, just as he passed over the midpoint of the road the detonator exploded with a blast of flame and smoke blowing apart the window. He soared toward the glass and felt the cable yank as it caught on the window hurling him upward.

Robin let go and somersaulted through the air before landing in a crouch beside the island of desks. He drew a trio of bat-a-rangs and let loose.

* * *

Beast Boy gasped as a feel of immense cold filled his senses and he shuddered as darkness enveloped him. When it fell away he was standing beside the vault and shivering.

"Creepy dark energy thingy..." he muttered to himself and swallowed when Raven glared at him. "Sorry."

"I know it's creepy... there's no need to rub it in my face." Raven said just as two men scrambled to the vault and laid bricks of plastic explosive against the hinges. With a growl, she lifted her hand and a black shield enveloped them. A boom echoed and Beast Boy felt his ears ring from the concussion. Then there was a crash from the vault door banging to the floor before the two robbers returned with their duffle bags.

He transformed with a snarl into a wolf and charged the two of them. Darkness enveloped the men's bags as they stared at the two heroes in shock. The duffle bags were ripped from their grasp and flew to Raven's outstretched hand. One of the men yelled as Beast Boy's teeth sank into his arm while the other drew a pistol.

"Azar!" Raven snapped and the gun was torn from the man's hand by a black energy field. Beast Boy bit down hard until he heard the man's arm snap with a crack and let go.

Then Raven seized the two of them and hurled them into the vault, groans of pain echoed from inside as the vault was enveloped in darkness and lifted back into place. "Let's go help the others." Raven said and ran toward the front.

* * *

Robin ducked down as gunfire tore into the wooden desks he was using as cover. Already three of the robbers were scrambling for weapons that'd been knocked from their grasp while the others unloaded a barrage of fire into his position. A sonic blast knocked down one of the nearest robbers as Cyborg entered the fray.

"Well hell, seems we meet again." Ravager shouted from above the fray and Robin swore as brilliant green tracers shot past his head. "I'll burn this whole bank down if you don't give it up Robin!"

"Tracer rounds!" Robin growled before grabbing a set of smoke pellets from his belt and tossing them at the man's feet. Ravager stepped back and coughed as the black smoke billowed around him and he squinted in the dark.

"I'm not afraid of the dark!" Ravager snapped and Robin swore as he heard something metallic bounce across the tile floor. He glanced over his shoulder and watched the round green form of a Russian fragmentation grenade roll to a stop.

"Oh hell!" Robin snapped just before a black shield enveloped the grenade and a flash from within marked its detonation.

"What?" Ravager snapped. "A dud?"

"No... I just think you should rethink that." Robin snapped back.

"Rethink what?" Ravager asked.

A gravely female voice seemed to sneer from the back. "Being afraid of the dark."

"It's the witch!" One of the robbers yelled just before the lot was deafened by a primal roar. Robin slowly leaned around the desk to see a huge red and blacked scaled creature snarling down at the robbers. Drool dripped from its six-inch long teeth and its tiny front arms were curled up to its chest.

"Umm..." One of the thugs muttered as he stared up at the Tyrannosaur.

"Fall back! We're leaving!" Ravager snapped before letting loose with another volley of gunfire that made Robin duck back. Two smoke grenades bounced across the ground and filled the room with thick white smoke. Then the robbers were gone.

Cyborg stepped out of the smoke and glanced around. "Anyone hurt?"

"Fine." Raven muttered before glancing up at the dinosaur. "I know becoming animals is your thing, but do you have to smell like them?"

Beast Boy morphed back to his natural form and arched an eyebrow. "You saying I smell bad?"

"I think she doesn't like your tofu breath." Cyborg said. "You okay Robin... looks like there are a couple holes in your cape."

Robin scowled and pulled off the cape to get a good look. Two rounds had punched through the cape and there was smoldering around the edges of the bullet holes. Scowling he stomped out the smoke and straightened up. "I'm fine but... Ravager was using tracer rounds..."

"Why?" Raven said. "Seems kind of pointless."

"Psychological advantage... you can see tracer bullets and that makes them more frightening." Robin said. "Good job on that grenade Raven, if you hadn't shielded it... well, a lot more than my cape would have holes in it."

"Is it over?" One of the tellers asked.

"No... It's just the beginning." Robin said as he pulled out his smart phone. "Babs, you got the tracker's signal?"

"Sure thing Boy Blunder. I'm sending the location to your phone now." Babs answered.

"Let's move out." Robin said as he headed for the door. As he walked out his motorcycle rumbled to a stop beside him. "Raven, BB… can you pursue from the air?"

"Easily." Raven said and disappeared in a black sphere. Beast Boy leapt into the air transforming into a peregrine hawk.

"Guess I'll run to my car." Cyborg said as Robin's motorcycle roared to a stop beside the curb waiting for him.

Robin sat on the bike and grabbed the controls. As he did, the display between his legs lit up marking the truck on a map of the city. He leaned over the controls. "Keep in contact, we'll meet up near their hideout and coordinate."

"Understood." Cyborg said before running off.

Robin hammered the accelerator and took off down Broadway. "Oracle, talk to me."

"They're heading west on 62nd Street. I tapped into the NYPD frequencies, sounds like they're still scrambling for the bank."

"Roger that." Robin said as he jerked the bike onto 62nd street and hammered the accelerator. The bike roared forward and he wove and swerved between taxis and other cars. Ahead he could see the food truck rumbling down the road. It swerved suddenly cutting across traffic and knocking a yellow cab into a flat spin.

"Target now heading south on Amsterdam Avenue." Oracle called out. "NYPD just got a call reporting an accident on 62nd and Amsterdam."

"Thanks Babs." Robin said as he swerved past the cab. A fuel tanker rumbled in front of him and he sank in his seat and leaned to the side, sliding the motorcycle underneath before straightening out. "Traffic is pretty thick."

"It is New York you know."

Robin swore as he lost sight of the truck behind a high rise. "Oracle?"

"Now moving east on 59th street."

"Understood." Robin pursed his lips and slowed. "Raven?"

"I see him… he's heading toward the river. There are some industrial areas in that direction." Raven's gravelly voice answered.

"Good… I'll hang back a bit so they think they're scot free." Robin said as he turned onto 59th street. "I don't see him anymore."

"I've still got him. He's… three maybe four blocks ahead of you now. He'll be under the Joe DiMaggio highway in a bit." Oracle said.

"Roger, where are you Raven?"

"I'm at the top of the Peter M. Thall Law Offices." Raven said. "I think it's a good thing I bought this map. The truck just went under the highway."

"Where the hell is he going… wait, he's off the road… is there a car park or something near there?" Oracle asked.

"There's a bunch of semi-trailers near the… I see him. The target is off the road and around those semi-trucks." Raven said with her usual flat tone. "He just stopped. I'm not close enough to see anything else."

"Is Beast Boy with you?" Robin asked.

"No."

* * *

Beast Boy fluttered down to the top of one of the semi-trucks and hopped along the rooftop in the form of the most common of birds in New York City, a pigeon.

The food truck doors banged open and the group of robbers scrambled out into the middle of the park. Ravager was in the middle of the group clutching his rifle and swearing. "Those damn vigilante types are really screwing with us now."

"No shit." One of the others growled. "No take and we lost some people again. I want out."

"So... it seems your little plan has unraveled a bit." A British accented voice called out from one of the trailers and a man stepped out, his hands gripping a black cane. He wore blue tinted square glasses and had on a rather garish blue and red sport coat with a black undershirt. His clothes while looking brand new seemed rather retro and old fashioned.

"Shut it Mod, we can get other suppliers." Ravager grumbled.

"But they'll all need payment won't they? This debacle has already thrown your schedule. Perhaps you should turn around and try again somewhere else?" The one called Mod said. "You lot has been paying in cash, don't expect me to start a charge account."

"Fine Mod... we'll hit up something quick, but not this moment. I'm sure you've got places to be?" Ravager grumbled.

"Of course... there's a lovely new line opening today, I figure I should put in an appearance there... nothing quite like the fashion business." He walked over to a blue and red Mini-Cooper and dropped inside. "Do have some money next time I come by chaps, or I'll have to find someone else to sell those goods you requested to."

He turned the key and drove off just as Beast Boy fluttered off the top of the truck and made his way past the group of robbers, it looked like there were five of them now, all laden down with weapons and ammunition. They looked more like terrorists then bank robbers.

He fluttered to the highway and landed on the shoulder. He morphed back to his human form and leaned against the concrete divider for a moment. Then his phone buzzed in his pocket. He flipped it open. "Yeah?"

"Beast Boy? Where are you? Why didn't you report?"

"About fifty meters from those robbers. I can't really be on the phone when I'm a pigeon." Beast Boy risked a glance over the divider. "I think they're staying here... looks like they just opened up one of the semi-trailers, I can see a sofa and a TV inside... kind of like a tiny apartment."

"Great work, Cyborg we've got their location." Robin said. "Oracle, you got their exact location?"

"Yep..." Oracle said.

"I'll call that detective you found for us... What's the name Detective Carter?" Robin said.

"Yep... Once you call, you'll have about fifteen minutes to subdue them, they might be listening in on the police frequencies." Oracle said.

Beast Boy bit his lip. "So we better be ready to jump them right before you make the call, right?"

"Yeah, could one of you make sure that truck isn't going anywhere?" Robin said with a smirk.

"Let's see... forty ton dinosaur verses truck, I got that." Beast Boy said.

"Really..." Raven muttered.

"Right, we'll get into position. Raven, you join Beast Boy. Cyborg and I will storm the entrances to that truck park." Robin said.

"I hear you Robin... be about five minutes till I'm in position." Cyborg said. "I really need to get a new car for this."

"Understood." Robin said.

"Hey." Raven's voice whispered from beside him.

Beast Boy jumped as Raven floated out of a pool of darkness beside him and knelt behind the barrier. "Wha... Rae, that makes my skin get goose bumps."

"Sorry." Raven said as she glanced over at him. "You see anything else beside the robbers."

"There was a guy here to meet them, took off when they didn't have any money for him." Beast Boy said. "Some guy called Mod, sounded British... kind of posh."

"Great." Raven said.

"I'm in position, everyone else ready?" Cyborg called out.

"Ready." Garfield said.

"Call's in... Everyone, go!" Robin yelled and Garfield hauled himself over the barrier morphing into a hawk that dove toward the truck. With an internal smirk he transformed in the hulking shape of the Tyrannosaur and slammed into the side of the truck. It toppled onto its side and Garfield let out a roar.

One of the other trailers exploded and Robin soared through the debris on his motorcycle. Cyborg's hatchback screamed into the center of the collection of truck trailers and he fired his sonic cannon out the side window, knocking one of the robbers against a trailer and dropping him to the ground.

"Well, you found me then!" Ravager snarled and drew a long barreled rifle from the inside of a trailer. Garfield spun toward the man just as a shot rang out.

The bullet slammed into a protective shield of darkness. A second shot rang out and Garfield saw the shield shift to block the next round.

"Beast Boy, move!" Raven yelled as two of the other thugs lifted their rifles to point toward him.

Beast Boy transformed once again, morphing into a fox and bolting under the trailer. Sparks shot from the metal as he dove for cover and gasped for breath. "Thanks Rae!"

"Azarath... metrion... zinthos!" She yelled and one entire trailer was enveloped in darkness. It toppled onto its side forming a solid wall of metal between him and the robbers.

Beast Boy swallowed as a grenade hurled through the air and bounced off a trailer. With a flash it was enveloped in darkness and hurled up into the air, exploding uselessly and raining fragments down over the lot of them.

Raven dropped down beside him and scowled. "You okay?"

"Fine Rae... any ideas?"

"I shield and you rush them?" Raven suggested.

"Sounds like a plan..." He said and stood morphing into a nine foot long raptor. A black semitransparent shield flared to life around him and his mouth twisted into a snarl. He leapt over the trailer and snarled.

One of the robbers stared at him with wide shocked eyes and lifted his rifle. Beast Boy charged, leaping into the air and coming down atop the man knocking him prone. He slashed at the man's hands and the man lifted the gun up to block the blow.

In his feral animalistic form, the raptor's instincts raged in his mind. It wanted to snap at the hapless creature, maul and slash. He reined that instinct in, slashing for the arms and snapping his jaws around the gun's magazine. With a twist of his head, he ripped the weapon out of his hands.

"Stop!" The man blubbered and Beast Boy head butted the man, knocking him out. Then he glanced around.

Robin had his bo staff locked with Ravager's katana, sparks shooting from the metals grinding against each other while Cyborg had two of the robbers unconscious in his hands.

There was a click of a hammer being cocked and Beast Boy froze. Suddenly he felt a blast of cold and spun just in time to see the last remaining robber being slammed back into the side of a trailer. The gun in his hand went off and the bullet ricocheted across the metal as he slumped to the ground.

"You need to watch your back." Raven said from where she stood at the top of the crumpled and overturned trailer.

"Thanks Rae." Beast Boy said with a smile and turned to Robin. With a twist of his wrist and a roundhouse kick to Ravager's face, Robin had managed to knock the katana from his grasp.

The robber stumbled back and drew his two machine pistols lifting them toward Robin when a sonic blast caught him in the chest and hurled him against the roof of the food truck. The metal dented in from the impact and Ravager slumped to the ground with a groan.

Robin walked over and snatched the pistols from him and removed their magazines before dropping them to the ground. He pulled a set of zip ties from his belt and tossed half them to Cyborg. "Secure em, the police will be here any moment and we should be gone by the time they are."

"Right." Cyborg said as he started to bind his prisoners.

Robin bound Ravager's wrists and stood up. "Raven, Beast Boy... you okay?"

"Not a scratch." Raven said. "When do you want to tell Batman?"

"Knowing him... he probably knows already." Robin handed them a set of zip cuffs. "Bind them up so the police can truck them off."

"Right." Beast Boy said as he took the zip ties and rolled the robber he'd knocked out onto his stomach. He pulled his arms back behind him and quickly secured them.

Raven watched nervously and glanced at the road. "Robin... we need to go."

"Right." Robin leapt onto his bike. "You want to meet up for pizza?"

"Sure, we've all got your number." Beast Boy said and grinned. "How bout it Rae? Pizza Party?"

"We'll talk about it later." She grabbed him by the arm as the sound of sirens began to echo down the street. With a flare of darkness, Beast Boy found himself on a rooftop overlooking the trailer park.

"Umm..." Beast Boy started.

"Cyborg and Robin just left." Raven said as she looked out over the park and watched the motorcycle and hatchback driving away. A moment later four squad cars roared down 59th street and turned into the trailer park. "And the police have arrived." She turned to him. "I'll see you later."

Then she disappeared into darkness once more.

Beast Boy shivered. "That's just creepy Rae..." He morphed into a pigeon and took to the air flapping down toward Cyborg's apartment.


	4. Titan's Dawn

**Titans Reimagined #1: Starfall**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Titan's Dawn**

* * *

Bruce Wayne scowled as he sat down behind his crime monitor with a large mug of coffee in one hand and a small plate of Alfred's famous Belgian waffles in the other.

A familiar black silhouette was waiting for him, leaning against the terminal with a smirk on her face. Barbara Gordon was clad in her bat-suit and watched him for a long moment before rolling her shoulder. "You're up late."

"Eleven is perfectly early for someone that works at night." Bruce said with a shrug before taking a bite of his waffle and tapping the monitors. "Why are you dressed already?"

"Oh, no reason in particular." Barbara said. "I thought I'd stop by and check in on you."

Bruce rolled his eyes and tapped the keys on the monitor. "So nothing big happened while I was asleep."

"Nothing in Gotham anyway." Barbara smirked. "Did you have some sort of deal with Dick? Catch the Ravager gang in a week or something?"

Bruce stopped and glared at her for a moment. "If I did?"

"I suggest you switch over to the regional news." Barbara stood and walked to the exit.

He scowled and tapped into the regional news feed. His eyes widened as the scroll at the bottom of the screen announced:

_...The Ravager Gang, a group of ruthless bank robbers was captured by the NYPD this morning... Rumors persist of vigilante involvement in their capture..._

"Already?" Bruce growled as he tapped the keys and quickly accessed the internet. Within minutes, he'd hunted down the police report and a security video. A growl slipped out from his throat and he pushed back from the terminal. "Alfred!"

"Master Bruce?" The cool voice of his butler said from the entrance of the bat cave. He glanced at him from over his spectacles and arched an eyebrow.

"I need to make a quick trip to New York." Bruce said. "Preferably before..."

The secure phone to the bat cave rang and Bruce froze. With a scowl, he picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"The Ravager gang is in custody Batman, and I've got a lead on their arms supplier. I think we had a deal?" Robin's cool and collected voice came across the line.

"I just found out..." Bruce said with a scowl. "I'll start things moving, talk to Lucius..."

"Good..." Robin growled. "Just keep to the deal we made, alright?"

"I will... and Dick?" There was a long silence on the line as Bruce took a deep breath. "Good work."

"Thank you." Robin hung up and Bruce Wayne slowly dropped the phone onto the receiver.

"I take it that was Master Richard then?" Alfred said as he stepped down to the terminal and glanced at the news and security feeds. "You did not expect him to work so fast then sir?"

"No, I'm guessing he had help... but then I never told him that he couldn't get any." Bruce said before sitting back in the seat. "I promised to support his team if he got this done within a week."

"How long has it been sir?"

"Two days." Bruce grunted. He tapped a series of keys into the terminal and a holographic image of New York appeared. Buildings owned by the Wayne Enterprises were highlighted in yellow. He tapped in a series of keystrokes and leaned back.

A single building sat out in the middle of the bay north of Long Island. It looked vaguely like an apartment complex or office building but even from the wire frame the computer displayed it was clearly something more. An Olympic sized swimming pool and basketball court filled the roof and a single huge common room dominated the top three floors, up the staircases on either side, it had eight separate bedrooms with baths on each floor. In the middle was an elevator that plunged to a structure hidden beneath the basement marked as a garage and a dozen odd tunnels headed off in different directions. Other sorts of rooms filled the rest of the building. There were training rooms, computer labs, evidence storage, a med bay, and laboratories.

"Titan Tower, sir?" Alfred asked as he looked at him over his glasses.

"A project I had before the Justice League started... a headquarters for a superhero team. I mothballed it once Clark agreed to start the Justice League." Bruce glanced at the location again. "It's been years since anyone has been there. I'll talk to Lucius about getting it running again."

"It does seem ideal for the team that Master Richard has assembled," Alfred stated flatly. "You were planning on giving him the place if he succeeded?"

"Maybe Alfred, maybe it just occurred to me." Bruce smiled at the old butler. "I'll never tell."

"Very good Master Bruce, do you want me to arrange for a quick flight to New York?" Alfred asked.

"Prep the Bat." He said before standing.

"Very good Master Bruce, will you be returning for lunch or should I pack something away for you?" Alfred asked.

"Pack something just in case."

* * *

Robin was grinning, immensely pleased with himself as he kicked back in the seat and put his feet up on the table. A trio of large pizza boxes were scattered around the table and Beast Boy had managed to eat through half his veggie deluxe before the rest of them had arrived. Of course by then Cyborg had already eaten the whole triple meat pizza he'd ordered.

This left a pepperoni pizza and half of an all-vegetable pizza. Raven picked at a slice of vegetable pizza and made a face as Beast Boy grabbed yet another slice.

"It would be better with cheese." Raven said before brushing the crumbs from her hands and leaning back in her seat. She took a slice of the pepperoni pizza and pushed the remains of the all-vegetable pie toward Beast Boy.

"More for me then." Beast Boy said with a grin.

Robin chuckled to himself as he finished a slice of pepperoni and glanced at the TV, which was talking about the capture. The police had made a point to show the vast collection of firearms they'd found in the trailers to the news crews.

Now the screen shifted to a crowd of reporters waiting on the steps to the courthouse. "Detective Carter, any comment on rumors that this raid was made after a vigilante group called in their location?" The reporters asked a rather harried looking man as he left the courthouses.

"No comment." He said flatly, as he tightened the trench coat around his form and stalked past the cameras.

"What about rumors that the Batman sent you this tip off?" Another reporter shouted.

"No comment."

A third rather persistent reporter shouted. "Detective Carter, is it true that you've hired a team of metahumans to assist your cleanup of the city?"

Beast Boy snickered. "Did you hear that Rae? We're getting paid by the Detective."

"As if a detective made enough money to hire anyone." Raven said with a bored voice.

Robin laughed. "In New York he might get paid a fair amount."

"Not that much, the cost of livin' here is too damn high to throw money around like that." Cyborg said as he grabbed a slice of pepperoni pizza. "He probably lives in some cheap two bedroom apartment."

"Probably." Robin said and shrugged. "I called Batman, so he knows we got them..."

"Oh good, he can pay us... daddy bats has to have more money than God, just look at all those gadgets he gave Rob." Cyborg said.

"Maybe he does merchandising." Raven said. "Or party entertainment."

"The Gotham Police Department has an arrest on sight warrant for Batman and me." Robin said and shrugged. "Been that way since I donned the uniform."

"That sucks." Beast Boy said with a grumble. "Why?"

"Perhaps the police are corrupt, or maybe the politicians that control them." Raven said.

"Both probably." Robin said with a shake of his head. "Last decent District Attorney we had was Harvey Dent."

"Wait isn't Dent—" Beast Boy started.

"Two-Face? Yep, that's Dent... and you can just imagine what the rest of them must be like." Robin said with a smirk. "At least the Police Commissioner is straight. Cyborg, you've lived here a while... what do you think of the police?"

"Mixed bag I think... they try but New York is big, you know... and there are always bad eggs when an organization gets big." Cyborg shrugged. "There are gangs and all but it's the big city and we got places here that need a lot more protectin' then other cities have. There's the UN building, Wall Street, Broadway, Times Square... So yeah, they're stretched thin most of the time I think."

"Gotham's better than it was… I mean before he started, it was really corrupt... Batman told me that the police did hits for mob bosses and some of the detectives ran protection rackets." Robin took another slice of pizza. "At least here we can focus on criminals and gangs instead of worrying about the police."

"Hey dude, after this, how about a Halo party?" Cyborg said.

"Sweet!" Beast Boy said.

"Make it a big server and we'll get all my sidekick friends to join in." Robin said. "You could join us Raven."

"No thanks." She said. "I'll just read while you fight about pixels."

"Stick in the mud." Beast Boy grumbled. "Come on Rae, you might like it."

"No." Raven said.

"Aww..."

Robin shook his head. "Leave it Beast Boy, if Raven doesn't want to play, don't force the issue."

"It could be a team building exercise." Cyborg said with a smirk.

"Don't push it." Raven growled.

The three of them crowded around the X-box as Raven pulled out a fat paperback horror novel from her hoodie pocket and started to read. As Robin tapped the headset, he quickly logged into the voice chat for his friends. Immediately the speakers were filled with Wally West's, "Wazzzup!"

"Wazzzup!" Cyborg answered and grinned. "Is that you Kid Flash?"

"Yeah, it's him... Babs is doing homework." Speedy said.

"Okay, so we've got five... want to crash a server?" Robin asked.

"Sounds like fun." Kid Flash snapped.

"Awesome..." Beast Boy said with a smirk and bounced on the couch his controller held tightly.

They started play and after a half hour laughter and cursing filled the living room as Raven continued to read resolutely ignoring the lot of them. A low rumble echoed out the window and Robin glanced up from the game and froze.

The hovering black shape of the Bat floated outside the window. He stared at the cockpit and saw a thumb gesturing toward the roof. With a scowl, he stopped the game. "Guys..."

"What?" Cyborg asked.

"Batman is on the roof." Robin said and grabbed his cape from the back of the couch and clipped it on. "Let's go see what he wants."

"Aww shit, good luck dudes!" Kid Flash said as Robin grabbed his utility belt and wrapped it around his waist.

"Let's hope he doesn't want a rematch." Beast Boy groaned before standing and walking over to the door. "Rae, you coming?"

"I suppose." She stood from where she'd been seated behind the couch and closed her book. "Can we please avoid a confrontation?"

"That's entirely dependent on him." Robin grumbled as he headed for the door.

"Just don't antagonize him... we've got your back." Cyborg said as he checked the sonic cannon in his arm. "If it goes to hell, we'll handle it."

"Right, just... follow my lead." Robin said as he headed out the door and glanced up the stairs and started climbing. The roof access was locked with a padlock but that didn't take more than a few seconds for Robin to remove.

He stepped out onto the roof and pursed his lips as Batman stood before the hovering form of the Bat. Air blew his cape out, making it billow ominously in the light from the vehicle's spotlight.

"I hope you're here to finalize our agreement." Robin muttered as Cyborg stepped out from his shadow and lifted the charging sonic cannon toward Batman.

Beast Boy and Raven glared at the black silhouette as he pulled a set of folders from his cape and held them aloft. "I gave my word. I intend to abide by that." He tossed the folders onto the ground between them. "The dossiers of your team." He stated flatly. "Along with details on a headquarters for your team, I have some people working on making it habitable for you."

Robin stooped and picked up the folders. "You promised financial support as well?"

"And technical assistance, if you'll send our mutual supplier requisition requests I'll make sure they're filled." Batman said in his hoarse voice.

"Good." Robin said before handing the documents to Cyborg. "I'll be sure to contact you if I need anything else." He turned back toward the roof access.

"Is that it then?" Batman growled. "Not a word of thanks?"

"No." Robin growled. "You fired me!" He spun on Batman. "Do you think you deserve my thanks? My forgiveness?"

"Robin..."

"You might be the person supporting this team, but that doesn't make me your lapdog... not anymore." Robin growled. "So stop trying to patch it up between us."

"Alfred misses you." Batman said flatly.

Robin sighed. "Thank him for the cooking lessons for me." He smiled faintly for a moment before stepping toward the door. He stopped and scowled. "And thanks from the team for your help... Batman."

Then he wrenched the roof access open and stormed down the steps. The door banged shut behind him and Robin swore. A moment later it opened again and the team filed in behind him as he ran a hand through his hair and snarled. "Asshole."

"No kidding... he's creepy." Beast Boy shuddered. "Creepier then Rae."

"Great, I suppose, I have work to do then." Raven said as she floated down the steps. "Are you alright?"

"No, but I will be... he just gets under my fucking skin all the damn time!" Robin snarled again and gripped the railing hard enough it creaked. "He's always pushing..."

"Well, let's look at these files... who's the requisition guy he talked about anyway?" Cyborg asked.

Robin's lip twitched for a moment before he sighed. "I can't tell you... it could compromise Batman's identity."

"Well shit, how are we supposed to know what the guy can and can't get?" Cyborg grumbled.

Robin shrugged. "If you can think it, he can get it..."

"So if I wanted an army of mutant zombie monkeys?" Beast Boy asked.

"Okay, almost anything you can think of he can get." Robin said with a laugh. "Come on... let's get back to Cyborg's and look at this stuff."

They trudged down the stairs to Cyborg's apartment and crowded around the dining room table as Robin opened the first manila envelope. "Okay, let's see what it is that Batman found for us."

He pulled a set of blueprints out and spread them over the table. His eyes widened and Robin checked the insignia in the corner of the blueprints: Wayne Enterprises Special Projects. He took a deep breath. "Okay, this is a place that we could use as headquarters..." He glanced at the grid coordinates in the corner as Cyborg sat down.

"Grid coordinates are for an island in the bay north-east of Manhattan." Cyborg said after a moment. "Look at this place... that's what, sixteen stories?"

"Not counting the garage." Robin said staring at the massive structure. It was more than he imagined for a headquarters... hell. It was the size of two or three Wayne Manors and only looked a bit smaller then the Justice League's Hall of Justice in Metropolis. Robin bit his lip and leaned back in the chair. "This place is huge."

"Training rooms, evidence storage, is that a meditation chamber?" Raven's finger traced the design and she arched an eyebrow. "Sixteen separate bedrooms at the top floors."

"Maybe he thinks the team will grow." Beast Boy said.

Robin shrugged. "It's possible. What do you think of that common room up top?"

"Sounds like a great place for a party." Cyborg said and snickered.

"Party!" Beast Boy jumped up and down in his seat. "Party central dude!"

"You would think of a party, wouldn't you?" Raven said and shook her head.

Robin chuckled quietly before growing sober. "It won't be all fun and games. I noticed the main computer terminal and crime scanner displays are in the common room."

"So we can use it for briefings... and the kitchen is right there so... it'd be perfect for meals and that sort of thing. It is a common room, a place to socialize." Cyborg smirked slightly. "Raven wouldn't be caught dead there."

"You never know, I may just sit quietly in the corner." She muttered.

"This is awesome. You think he's trying to make up for beating us up last time?" Beast Boy asked.

"No, he's Batman..." Robin said with a harrumph. "There'll be some other reason for this place's existence... mutual interests or some other gambit." He gritted his teeth. "Maybe he wants a team to keep the Justice League in check."

"Us, check them?" Cyborg laughed. "No way would we beat them in a straight up fight. They got Supes and Batman... not to mention everybody else in their ranks."

"Maybe he wants you to train the next generation?" Raven suggested.

Robin shrugged. "Doesn't matter... it'll be a while before the Tower's ready."

"So, what are we calling ourselves? The New York Guard? Beast Boy's Banditos? Robin's Ruffians?" Beast Boy grinned. "I could keep going..."

"Just stop..." Robin said and sat back. "Robin's Ruffians? Really?"

"It's better than the Bat Clan." Cyborg said. "What's the name of this tower?"

"Titan Tower." Robin said and slowly his eyes widened. "Titans... How about that?"

"Titans? I could go with that." Raven said.

"Really? The Titans?" Beast Boy bounced in his chair. "That's a boring name..."

"Better than Doom Patrol." Cyborg said flatly and Beast Boy fumed. "I like it."

"Sorry Beast Boy, but I think you're outvoted." Robin said with a smirk.

"Aww man!" He grumbled.

"So, what's in the other manila envelopes?" Raven asked.

Robin pulled open the next envelope and tossed it aside. "Dossiers on you guys..."

A black shield of energy snapped between Beast Boy as he made a grab for it. Raven glared at him. "Some of that is private."

"Sure..." He sank back and sighed.

Robin opened the next enveloped and a set of four com-links fell out onto the table. He smirked. "Com-links..."

Cyborg pulled out a manual from the envelope and studied it carefully. "Says here they're encrypted... there's three channels... the team channel, a Justice League channel, and a Batclan channel."

"Sweet!" Beast Boy said before grabbing one. "No more using cell phones!"

Robin chuckled as he took his and Raven quietly examined hers. Cyborg pulled out a port from his cybernetic arm and plugged the device into his systems then stored it away. He tapped his arm a moment later and smirked. "Team channel test..."

All three other com-links blinked green and rang with a simple tone. Robin activated his. "Robin here."

"I read you." Beast Boy said, his voice coming out of the com-links in stereo."

Raven smirked slightly. "I thought one Beast Boy was bad enough."

"They work." Robin said before snapping his shut. "Maybe I could order a few more for Speedy, KF, and Oracle."

"We could just send them the frequency and encryption... they've got com-links of their own, right?" Cyborg said.

Robin blinked then nodded. "Good point." He spun the com-link in his hand then glanced at the last envelope, inside was just financial data and information. He tucked that away, none of the others needed to see it just yet. "So, should we get back to the game?"

"Sure..." Beast Boy said with a grin.

* * *

Her body thrummed with pain as it was bathed in the bright blue-white light of her star, the giver of nourishment, comfort, and freedom had been twisted into a device of torment by those unfeeling creatures that stared at her during the experiment.

Suddenly the light shut off and bathed she gasped in shock. The complete darkness that remained afterward made her shiver in shock at the sudden end of the torment.

_She has far exceeded even our most generous estimates for her capacity._ The mind of one of the white skinned creatures spoke and she growled under her breath. She could feel the energy flowing through her, scorching her insides as it thrummed through her body. She gasped for energy as the slight burning smell from her very flesh filled the room.

_Indeed, her ability to discharge the energy has been far greater than anticipated._ Another of the hateful minds answered and she slowly turned her head to the source of the noise, her eyes watering and useless in even the mild darkness of the laboratory. _Perhaps we can utilize her in other ways… her capacity does open up other vectors for our research._

_True… _A holographic display fluttered to life in the dim light and Starfire squinted at the only visible object in her sight before growling at the two silhouettes standing before it. _The Citadel has again requested our return of her…_

_The primitives do not matter. She is of far more value than a mere prize and object for their consumption._ Starfire glanced between them unable to figure which of the two were speaking at a time before clutching her manacled and sealed fist. _Their commissioning of a Gordanian vessel to retrieve her is only an incidental problem to us. No Vegan ship would dare to challenge us._

_True, for they are primitives._

_Indeed. _One of the figures tapped the display for a moment. _The ability to gather such energy and discharge it as a weapon would be of use to us… further improving our species. We must see if the ability may be made cross species transferable._

She swallowed.

_We have a number of cloning cylinders and mental transference systems aboard so that the clone would hold the subject's mind._ One of the Psions waved a hand and an image appeared over the display of a bipedal species of mammal that she could not recognize.

_You are considering possible genetic templates upon which to base our experiment?_

_Yes, most species of the Vegan system are not suitable… we must choose another._

_Alpha Centauri is too heavily guarded to be a viable source for subjects or genetic material. The most weakly defended system would be Sol._ One of the aliens huffed at that statement as another species appeared on the display. _The people of the third world in the system would be ideal, we have used them before._

_What of the Green Lanterns?_

One of the Psions rolled his head back in one of the disturbing and silent laughs of the species. _The Green Lanterns? They are a joke._

_Yes, we have the intellect and technology to render them useless if need be. It would violate the treaty, but we have done so before._ She stared at the figures and closed her eyes wincing against the burning sensation that filled her body from the energy.

_I have programed in the route to the ship's computer along and programmed the cloning cylinder._ One of the Psions stated before the display winked out. _We shall arrive in three days._

_Will she last that long? Their dependence on that world's sun is a concern…_ The other psion asked.

_As charged as she is… so long as she does not discharge she will survive the trip._ The psion shrugged. _Otherwise… she will be starved for energy on our arrival._

_Secure her. Let us insure she does not discharge then._

She snarled under her breath into the darkness and flinched as a light blazed on directly overhead. Her skin looked scorched and blackened and she swallowed before clenching her fists in the manacles.

The white face of a Psion leaned over her, its expressionless black eyes flicked over her for a moment before nodding. She stared up at it, her body feeling the energy chorus through her and suddenly a thought struck her…

If the energy could be unleashed through her hands… was there another means by which it could be let loose. Focusing inward she drew the energy up to her head and felt her eyes begin to burn. The Psion's eyes widened comically before a scorching beam of green energy lanced through his brain, turning the top of his head into ash.

Blinded by the flash from her own eyes she ground her teeth together and tried to remember where the binds were, she glared in the direction and let a blast of energy out that burned through a metal latch that had held her arms in place.

_Emergency! All hands to laboratory A!_

She snarled and tore the shackles from the latches. Half-way free she let a lance of energy vaporize the shackles on her legs and she rolled off the cot, ignoring the burning she felt on her legs from the superheated metal.

Then she froze. Her senses tensed and readied. Her ears twitched at the faintest sound. Then she heard the Psion's feet padding across the plating and roared in rage. She charged swung her arms, still bounded together.

The manacles connected with something soft and a scream echoed in her mind before a thump from the Psion's body striking the wall echoed in the room. Then there was a beep and she felt the ship shudder under her feet.

_What's going on?_ She thought to herself and tried to see again, blinking away tears for a moment and stared at the holographic display that flickered to life before her.

Autopilot engaged… FTL activated. ETA to Sol system…

Her gaze flicked across the various pieces of data on the Sol System and the plotted course as panic filled her. Then she saw the details of the star. Her eyes went wide and her body shuddered in horror. _No… not a G-type star… It does not produce enough… not enough._

Another display flickered to life and she gaped as a series of genetic modifications and other figures scrolled through it, then she swallowed. _There might be a way…_

The doors to lab opened and she spun just as four larger Psions stormed inside armed with laser rifles. Fighting back a wave of despair and felt the energy burn in her eyes and swept a blue-white eye-beam over them, burning them down in an instant.

"X'hal! I shall not let this be the end of me!" She yelled as more security officers began to clatter into the room. "If you do not wish to be destroyed, you shall stand aside!"

They didn't.

* * *

Robin chuckled to himself as he watched Beast Boy and Cyborg playing on the X-box. At the rate they were going, he guessed that soon they'd wear out the thing from their constant gaming.

"So..." Raven's voice seemed to vibrate in the air as she spoke. "Have you looked through those dossiers yet?"

"Some of them." Robin allowed as he turned to the figure clad in her hoodie. She floated in the air, legs crossed underneath her, and she seemed to be in a meditative position. "Are you worried about your file?"

"Perhaps... you do know of my ancestry." Raven said.

Robin nodded. "You've never struck me as evil Raven. Quiet, stoic, and sarcastic, to be sure but never... evil."

"I see..." Raven glanced at him and sighed. "I was cast out of my home by those that were afraid of my... demonic inheritance you could say."

"Even if I was a firm believer in the idea of genetics controlling a person's nature... you're half human." Robin said. "And in my experience, genetics has almost no bearing on the nature of a person."

"So... even with my ancestry, you'll be judging me by my actions, I gather?" Raven said.

"Yes."

"And if I have an urge to smack Beast Boy around for being an annoying sort?"

Robin laughed. "You'll just be proving to me that, you're human."

A slight smirk played across her face and she nodded to him. "Good, so we understand each other."

"Yes, and knowing is half the battle." Robin joked quietly before leaning back on the couch. His phone rang and Robin's smiled faded for a moment before he whipped it out and put it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Dick!" The familiar female voice of Barbara Gordon came through the line and Robin's grin returned. "I take it you talked to old bats?"

"Yeah, he flew by a couple hours ago... we've got comlinks now Babs, so I'll send you the encrypt and channel information. I know you'll be wanting to listen in on us." Robin grinned.

"Of course, you know old bats is probably listening in on those channels too." Babs answered.

"Of course he is." Robin agreed. "How is Gotham?"

"Pretty boring actually, none of the big trouble-makers are up and about at the moment. I wonder, you mind me swinging down if nothing pops up?" Barbara asked.

"Swing by? Sure you can Babs." Dick said. "I guess stopping muggings is peanuts considering the sort of trouble you usually get around there."

"It is... how's your case going?" Babs asked.

"The smuggler thing? Nowhere at the moment. All we've got is the name 'Mod' and a very vague 'he sounded kind of posh' description from Beast Boy." Robin said.

"Really, 'he sounded kind of posh' is what BB said?" Babs snorted with suppressed laughter. "Yeah, you're not getting very far on that, are you? I'll do some searching."

"Thanks Babs."

* * *

Mad Mod or Neil Richards as those who worked for him knew him sat at the end of the runway, twirling his cane idly as he watched the fashion models saunter down the runway and pose. All around him the click and whir of cameras filled the air as picture after picture was taken of his newest line of clothes.

His mind however was on the elimination of the Ravager gang. They'd made him more money in the trade of arms and munitions than any other smuggling he'd done into New York. Still, there were others and now that his appetite was whetted by the Ravager's trade, the weapons market.

"Well... I'll just have to see about finding more buyers and expand my market line a bit more." He mused to himself as he slapped his cane into his hand and grinned. "Earning a bit more quid is always a goal worth pursuing."

* * *

The scream of the Psion echoed in her mind as it's body crumpled against the solid plating of the wall. It slid to the ground leaving behind a bloody streak. She gasped for air as the silence of the ship slowly grew in her mind.

_I warned them._ She thought to herself. _They wouldn't leave me alone... and so they died._

She closed her eyes and slowly sat down. Her exhaustion slowly overrode everything as she stared down at the manacles and restraints. Then she slumped forward and the darkness overwhelmed her.

She didn't see the ETA to Sol slowly beginning to tick away the time until her arrival.


	5. Star's Fall

**Titans Reimagined #1: Starfall**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Star's Fall  
**

* * *

It was strange in a lot of different ways, spending time with Raven. Dick smirked to himself as he walked down the aisles of the small market he'd found on his way back to the apartment. The Goth had tagged along, and the two of them blended in as best they could... Dick with his white hoodie, cargo pants, and wraparound sunglasses and Rachel with her black hoodie, black pants, and Converse.

The Converse made him smile in amusement when he first saw them. It was one of those subtle, ha, 'I get you now' tells that only a detective would pick up.

Rachel Roth wore Black Converse. It was one of those little things that took an image and skewed it, Goths weren't cool, but Converse were cool. Ergo, Raven was one of those walking contradictions, a cool Goth.

Not that she really was a Goth, but Dick was pretty sure she'd get along easily with that crowd if she wanted to.

But he was certain, absolutely certain that the stares he was getting were due to just how strange a pair they looked in the aisles. For one thing, how many teens went grocery shopping anyway?

Dick didn't mind the company, it was quiet company after all and he got the feeling Rachel was there more because she was bored and a bit curious about him than anything else.

Then they stepped onto the frozen food aisle and Rachel immediately stopped and gazed straight into one of the cooling units. She pulled open the door and grabbed a box of Eggos waffles with a snap. Then she glanced a bit sheepishly at Dick.

"You like waffles, Rachel?" He asked with a slight smile.

She flushed and Dick couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

Detective William Carter pursed his lips in thought as he stepped up to the jail cell wall and stared at the single inmate sitting inside. Beside him, the Junior Detective Dana Ward swallowed nervously as she glanced back at him.

"What have you got?" Carter asked.

"His prints come up as Grant Wilson... but Will, when we looked em up, we hit a wall. This guy, he's got some sort of big connections. Every time I try to get some information, I start getting stonewalled." Dana glanced at him. "There was also some anomalies in his blood work, some sort of compound we can't identify."

"Really?" Carter asked. "Any idea what it is?"

"No..." Ward said as she ran a hand through her hair nervously. "I don't like this Will, not one bit."

"We got him, and he'll be going to county in the morning. I think the Feds want a wack at him too." Carter observed with a shrug. "Let's get some coffee..."

"Alright, I just have got a really bad feeling about this guy." Ward said as she followed him out of the room.

As the door closed, Grant Wilson snorted. "You have no idea, do you?"

* * *

"I have to confess, I'm disappointed." A voice stated flatly from the darkened center of a room in the middle of a well furnished manor house. It came from a single high back chair facing a fire. "Grant's attempt to become independent ended rather quickly, didn't it Rose?"

A quiet voice came from behind the chair where a young woman stood, only a single eye glimmering in the firelight. "Of course father... he wouldn't have had much chance of success without your initial assistance anyway."

"No doubt, and unfortunately his bumbling has attracted a group of ne'er do wells to New York City." The older voice said flatly. "This is not a threat... not yet, but it does bear watching."

"Of course father... and Grant?"

"He's earned some time in the penalty box Rose... I won't spring him just because he's my son." The older figure said. "At least, not yet."

* * *

Robin smirked as he stepped inside his rather spartan apartment laden down with bags of groceries in both his arms. Behind him, Raven stepped into the room, her gaze flicking around the room for a moment in assessment before she focused back on Robin. "Rather... basic, isn't it?"

"I don't have very high demands." Robin observed as he set down the bags on the counter of the table. Raven set down a set of bags down as well and glanced around the room. "Go ahead and look around while I put this away, there's not much... to it."

"I guess that the Batman instilled a bit of a utilitarian approach to living?" Raven observed as she walked over to the couch and glanced at the X-box before shaking her head. "Does every boy your age own one or what?"

"Most do." Robin said as he stocked the refrigerator.

Suddenly a blizzard of knocks hit the door and Robin stopped, his lips pursed in surprise. "Beast Boy and Cyborg didn't say anything about coming by..." He walked over to the door and peeked. As Raven watched, he relaxed and a rather amused smile appeared as he opened the door.

A redhead with freckles clad in a red jacket over a grey t-shirt and jeans stared at Robin and smirked. "Really, this is where you're living?" He said as he stepped inside, and Raven scowled as she felt his gaze sweep over her. "Whoa... am I interrupting anything? Who's the cape?"

Robin laughed before clasping his hand and pulling him into a friendly hug. "KF! Did you bribe Babs into telling you where I'm living?" He said after pushing back and looking over the redhead. "Damn... you look so normal, where's the suit?"

"Nah... I just asked." He said before shrugging. "Oh and for the suit... It's underneath..." KF pulled his collar down to reveal a bright yellow armored suit. "So... who's the cape? Should I tell Babs about her?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Great... is this a friend of yours?"

"Sorry... Raven, meet Kid Flash." Robin said as he gestured between them. "What exactly are you doing here anyway? In civilian clothes no less."

"Oh... just thought I'd drop by..." Kid Flash said as he glanced around the apartment. "Nice digs... nothing fancy, but then you don't live it up like Bats, do you?"

"I don't need a mansion." Robin said as he turned back to the groceries and resumed putting them away.

"So... you're Raven then." KF said as he came to a stop beside the small kitchen table and glanced over at her. "You don't talk much..."

"No, I don't... as a result, when I do speak, people listen." Raven said and smirked at the rather bemused expression that blossomed on Kid Flash's face.

"You two friends then?" Kid Flash asked.

"Perhaps, coworkers at least." Raven said simply. "None of his guy friends offered to help with groceries."

"Ah... so you're not attached, good." Kid Flash said with a smirk before dropping onto the couch and putting his feet up beside the X-box.

Raven rolled her eyes. "I'm not interested in a relationship."

"Really? That's just lonely." Kid Flash said and Robin barked a laugh from the kitchen. "Oh well... I'm sure there are other women around that'd be after me in a flash."

Robin rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You need to lay off the 'flash' stuff when you're talking... it's a bit irritating."

"So... Babs said you're looking for a British guy called 'Mod'?" Kid Flash said with a smirk on his face.

"What, you got a lead for us?" Robin asked.

"Oh... it's just that I noticed that there's a British designer label called 'Mad Mod'. Supposedly their designer works here in New York." Kid Flash said with a shrug.

Robin glared at him. "Somehow I don't think you came up with this by yourself."

"Maybe not..." He admitted. "Babs may have, or might not have said something when I asked where you were living."

Robin's comlink chirped and he lifted it up. "Robin... oh yeah Babs, he beat your call... he's lounging on my couch right now." He lowered the comlink and glared at him. "Babs says she's going to kick your ass next time you drop by."

"Ahh... but you love me!" Flash said and even from where she sat, Raven could hear the girl scoff from the other end of the line.

Robin shook his head. "Thanks Babs, we'll look into it." He shut the comlink and slipped it into a compartment on his utility belt before glaring at Flash. "You had to steal her thunder."

"Hey... I didn't plan it that way." Flash said. "Dick, it's not like that, okay."

"Wally, damn it!" Robin snapped. "They don't know my name."

Raven smirked and glanced between them, a single eyebrow arched in their direction. "So..."

"Fuck, I'm sorry man! But did you have to say my name in revenge?" Wally snapped from where he sat and Robin snorted. "It's not like I said your full name... lots of people go by Dick."

"He is a bit hardnosed... Dick is a good name for him," Raven said with a contemplative voice as she glanced between them. "Well, mine is Rachel, not that Dick didn't know that already."

"Batman has files on most metahumans on the planet." Wally said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I remember when I met him for the first time, and what's the first thing he said to me?"

"Wally, sit down and shut up... thank you!" Dick said with a hoarse voice.

"Damn... you've gotten better at the impressions." Wally said before leaning back in the couch. "So... Raven, what makes you special?"

"I'm a half-demon sorcerer. Let's just leave it at that." She said with a clipped tone.

"Ooh... So she's scary, almost as creepy as your old boss Dick." Wally said.

Raven shook her head. "I guess I have some work to do..."

Dick laughed darkly. "You can try Raven, but being creepier then Batman takes a lot of work... You have to remember the sort of people he goes up against: Penguin, Joker, Two-Face, and so forth... it's not like they're normal criminals."

"Damn scary ones, almost all of them are crazy... Penguin is probably the sanest one there." Wally said. "He's just a black marketeer these days..."

"Penguin is... 'reformed' you might say. He figures its better not to be involved in violent crime, and feeds Bats info to keep him out of jail." Dick shrugged. "Right now, we're just starting up... no informants, no network, all I've got is a crime scanner... and Babs doing stuff to help us out."

"She's certainly a big help." Raven said. "I'm pretty useless when it comes to technology."

* * *

She woke, her head was throbbing and muscles were aching... The holographic display flickered and she looked up into it, her eyes squinting in the dim light as she tried to make out the time.

She felt tired... and more. The energy that burned within her seemed to flicker and shift as she focused on it. The blue energy of Vega was slowly slipping out of her, radiating away, and with it her own life energy...

_I shall die out here._ She thought as the display flickered again and she saw that soon the ship would arrive, battered and damaged as it was.

_I must find a way... a plan, yes, a plan... I do not wish to become with X'hal, not yet..._ She growled and pushed herself upright and stumbled to the displays about the world the Psions had called Earth. Her gaze focused on the script, the assorted research data and experiments that had been planned for her.

Then she saw it... an experiment to adapt the gift of X'hal to another race. _Perhaps... if I was human I could adapt and survive... _She thought for a moment then scowled. _How can I become one of these humans?_

Then she remembered, she was on a Psion research ship, fitted for doing such vile and heinous things, certainly something onboard would be of use to her in this desperate and foolish gamble to survive.

* * *

It was funny, that despite Robin being the obvious and blatant leader of their team, the place they seemed to gather at and meet wasn't his apartment. It was too small, meant just as living space, and moreover if you had a secret identity, holding meetings with a bunch of heroes in your apartment just sounded like a bad idea.

Cyborg on the other hand didn't have a secret identity and he had a large and spacious apartment that already held two of their team. One of whom he wanted to talk to.

"So... you've got a lead?" Cyborg asked as Dick stepped into the living room and set a laptop on the table.

"Yeah, I got one, but even if it's right I'm not sure how much we'll be able to act on it." Dick said as he sat down.

Garfield popped up from behind the couch looking a bit perplexed. "Hey Cy, what's going on?"

"Robin thinks he has a lead." Cyborg said.

"Cool." Garfield said before clambering over the couch and dropping into a seat opposite Dick.

"So... did you get a good look at the guy that was selling the weapons?" Dick asked.

"Pretty good..."

Dick spun the laptop to face Garfield and sighed. "This him?"

"Umm... I'm not sure..." Garfield said and scratched at his chin for a moment, cocking his head curiously. "It looks like him... but I can't be one hundred percent completely sure... you know?"

"So... who is he?" Cyborg asked.

"His name is Neil Richards, he's the designer for the 'Mad Mod' clothing line." Dick said. "I don't want to move against him just yet, we need evidence for Carter and his detectives... not just a name and a face, since it's probably a bad idea for Garfield to testify in court."

"Oh..." Garfield sighed. "And why can't we just go get this guy and worry about the cleanup later?"

"Well... If they can't convict him, he could turn public opinion against us and then we'd be the ones chased by the Police." Dick sighed. "Trust me, that's not fun."

"I guess not." Garfield pouted. "So... we need evidence, how do we get some?"

Dick frowned. "We need to find out where Mod stores his wares before selling them. If he's smuggling weapons and so forth, they'll be mixed into the shipments he's getting for his fashion line. If we find those weapons, we can call it in to Carter and he can take care of it."

"Sounds simple enough... just how many docks are there in the city." Cyborg froze. "Wait... that sounds really dumb in retrospect, this is New York... there's got to be hundreds of docks here."

"I've got Oracle tracing down the dock number for Mad Mod's fashion line..." Dick reassured Cyborg. "Then it'll be simple."

"So… where should we get dinner?" Garfield asked.

Dick sighed. Sometimes it seemed food was all his teammates thought about.

* * *

High over Earth a vessel decelerated from lightspeed, its hull shimmering in the light of the rather plain star. Aboard, a single sapient being stared at the displays then glanced down at her hands still engulfed in the massive manacles that had been fitted to her.

The ship soared straight toward the world. The damaged systems of the ship shot sparks as she tried desperately to keep the ship steady, but without her hands she had now control whatsoever.

_I'm going to crash!_ She thought as the ship shot toward the planet, and she felt her heart race as fear flooded her mind. _I'm going to crash! Oh X'hal save me... I just want to live, is that not too much to ask?_

She whimpered as the ship plowed through the upper atmosphere of the world and began to slow, she knew that soon she would be on the planet's surface, either dead from the crash or dying from energy starvation. She wept and closed her eyes.

* * *

Bruce Wayne sat back in his plush leather chair and stared up at the various monitors that kept him up to date with events throughout Gotham and the world beyond.

Behind him, Alfred had set down a large pot of coffee and a mug onto the small table that set beside the chair and stepped back, silently. After a moment he broke the silence with a single question. "A quiet day so far, Master Wayne?"

Bruce didn't respond and just stared at the monitors.

"Well it will give Miss Gordon a chance to catch up on some must needed rest then." Alfred observed.

"She's not in town Alfred, I think she's going to visit Dick." Bruce said after a few minutes before shrugging. "I'm sure we can handle Gotham without her for a day or two."

"Of course Master Wayne." Alfred said with a slight bow.

Then an alarm suddenly shrieked from one of the smaller side displays and Bruce spun toward it, his eyes widening. A single word appeared in yellow: Wildfire. Then an image of the globe appeared and a single flashing red triangle appeared above it, streaking toward the planet.

"Master Wayne, I will see about prepping your plane."

Bruce scowled for a moment at the display and tapped a set of controls. "Batman to Watchtower, confirm Wildfire?"

A clipped voice answered immediately. "Wildfire confirmed, unknown vessel in an uncontrolled descent toward the East Coast."

"Hell... so much for a quiet night." Bruce said before tapping the controls and hacking into Norad's radar feed. He swallowed as the computer calculated the likely crash would be just west-north-east of New York City.

"Dick!" He growled before grabbing a comlink and keying it to the new Titan's team channel.

* * *

"Awesome… Batman's getting us a lair, we beat those robbers, and now it's all you can eat baby!" Beast Boy grinned and tore into a tofu and bean paste roll.

Robin smiled and twirled a set of chopsticks through the Lo Mein on his plate. "I'm glad it's out of the way. I really didn't want to have to deal with him."

"Mhmm… how 'bout that Kung Pao shrimp, and they've got steak! Shrimp and steak, it must be my lucky day!" Cyborg said from across from them.

Raven rolled her eyes and took a sip from her steaming cup of tea. Her plate was filled with appetizers: Crab Rangoons, Won Tons, California Rolls. Still she hadn't eaten much from the plate and Robin wondered if it was because she wasn't hungry or what.

Suddenly the table rattled and Cyborg's Pepsi toppled into his lap. A deep rumble echoed down the street and Robin stood and stared out the window just in time to see a blue streak fly across the sky. As it disappeared behind some of the high-rises Robin's communicator screeched. Scowling he pulled it out and flicked it open. "Robin here."

"I am afraid we have a wildfire situation." Bruce's calm voice answered him. "Watchtower tracked an alien spacecraft into the New York area. From the radar feed it seems to have crashed near Pelham Bay. Your team is the closest group. Secure the wreck and any survivors."

Robin swore. "Right… is there any indication someone is moving to snatch it?"

"Lexcorp is mobilizing, Clarke just left to run interference on them… get moving Robin!" Bruce's voice cut out and the communicator went silent.

Robin swore at the device and stood. "Shit, we've got to go! Beast Boy, you ride with Cyborg."

"Where we heading?" Cyborg asked.

"Pelham Bay… an alien ship just crashed near there." Robin said as he dropped a fistful of money on the table and headed for the door. "Raven?"

"I'll scout ahead." The goth girl said and then disappeared from sight in a field of darkness. When it dissipated, she was gone.

"Let's go!" Robin yelled.

* * *

She moaned as sparks shot from a shattered panel in the ceiling. Her ears twitched as she slowly opened her eyes and pushed herself up from the deck plating. A panicked thought raced through her as she blinked and squinted in the dim light.

_The cylinder! Let it be intact!_ She thought and scrambled upright, stumbling with the heavy restraints binding her arms. She staggered to a stop beside the recessed panel and gave it a quick look over. After a few moments, she stared down at her restraints and snarled.

_X'hal, these must go!_ She thought, and felt part of her more primal nature beginning to wake from the danger.

She stumbled out of the laboratory and squinted at the twisted and deformed plating from the ship's impact. She groaned. _I am lucky to be alive..._

Survival, that was her primary concern and the more animalistic part of her nature was waking. She growled and made her way to an airlock. With a swing from her shackled hands, she smashed the mechanism and popped the door. Then she staggered out into the air of the world.

Trees... of some sort she did not recognize surrounded her, and she looked up at the dim blue sky already darkening from a setting sun. _Not much time._ She thought desperately.

The predator in her mind snarled and rattled her emotions for a moment. Then she took a deep breath trying to calm it, trying to force it to obey the plan, she had formed in her mind, but she'd only partially succeeded.

* * *

Raven stepped out from under a pine tree and took a deep breath, forcing her mind to calm. She could smell the hint of garbage from across the river where the landfill sat and crinkled her nose in disgust. In the distance, she could see the blackened shape of a silvery spacecraft that had dug a furrow in the soft ground beside the river.

"Azar…" She muttered to herself. "I found the ship at least."

Focusing inward, she pushed her senses outward, reaching out to the minds in the area. She felt it like a punch to the gut, a desperate and terrified mind and Raven swallowed trying to focus on its location. There was something out there, something not human…

A roar echoed from the trees and she felt fear shuddering in the back of her mind. Taking a deep breath Raven stepped to the edge of the tree line. Then she saw it.

It was a pale white skinned creature that seemed tainted blue as it ran across one of the marshy patches of land between Raven and the river. Two enormous restraints held its arms together from the elbow to the wrist and Raven could feel a flash of rage from the creature before the ends of the restraints glowed brightly for a moment. Then the glowing stopped and the creature raced onward heading toward a nearby bridge.

She could feel its life force in her mind, pulsing as it ran… something of it seemed off, and then she watched it she realized its strength seemed to be waning. It was weakening. She took a deep breath and pulled out her communicator. "Robin, I see the alien, she… he… it, I don't know. It's heading for the Hutchinson River Parkway Bridge. It's restrained…"

"Restrained?" Robin asked.

"It looks like its arms are manacled together by some device. I didn't get a good look at it… it's about seven or eight feet tall with blue-white skin, and Robin… it's weakening. I think it might be dying." Raven said.

"Understood, maybe it's injured or not adapted to an earthen environment." Robin suggested. "We'll meet you on the bridge."

* * *

She stared down at the manacles that bounder her arms together and snarled. The Psions had designed the restraints just for her. She hated them.

The ground turned from green vegetation to a hard grey surface like milled stone. She glared at it as she stumbled forward before a loud nose made her flinch. She spun toward the sound and her eyes went wide as a vehicle of white metal and plastic barreled toward her. Then it hit.

Her sides screamed in pain as she was tossed onto the hard surface and she rolled. Small rocks and chalky dust bit into her side as a pink-skinned creature stumbled out of the vehicle. Its skin looked strange, flabby and hung loosely over its body. The flabby bit was a strange dark blue color. It didn't look natural. As she glared at the creature, it turned and ran, yelling in some voice that hurt her ears.

_Prey?_ The predatory part of her mind asked as she stumbled upright. The restraints that held her arms bit into her and she snarled in pain. She screamed as a flash of energy arced over the restraints and sank onto her knees. She snarled, lifted the restraints over her head and slammed them down onto the hard grey surface beneath her.

The stone cracked and dust rose from the impact, but the restraints remained intact. She snarled and slammed them into the ground again with the same results. A loud blaring sound drew her attention and another vehicle squealed to a stop just before her. The driver stared at her, the pink face growing pale and the wheels squealed as it reversed direction. A moment later, there was a crunch and the vehicle rolled onto its side after another had slammed into it.

She stared, and saw that more of the vehicles were beyond them, lining up and squealing to a stop. Pink faced people turn and ran from her. She snarled and stalked toward the closest vehicle and slammed the restraints into the metal. It dented inward but the restraints remained undamaged.

A snarl slipped from her mouth. "Kirta! Kirta kanly!" She banged it against the metal again and glared at the restraints. Blue energy blazed from her eyes for a moment burning into the metal of the restraints before she screamed in pain and stumbled back blinking her eyes. Part blinded she slammed against the vehicle's front. Smoke and flame burst from the crumpled vehicle and she staggered back lifting her arms protectively in front of her.

* * *

Cyborg hit the brakes as traffic came to a complete stop and growled. "Uh, Rob… we got a problem, traffic came to a complete stop here, traffic jam or somethin'."

"How far from the bridge are you?" Robin asked.

"Uh… maybe a hundred yards." Cyborg said as suddenly an SUV ahead slammed into reverse. The squeal of tires filled the air, Cyborg gasped as suddenly a plume of smoke and debris rose over the bridge. "Oh hell no."

"Cy?" Beast Boy asked from the passenger's seat.

"I promised my ma that I'd never do this to a car but…" Cyborg cranked the wheel over and slammed the accelerator. He drove up onto the shoulder and muscled his way past a panicked SUV. He jerked the wheel and swore as a car tried to back out in front of him before hammering the horn.

"Get outta the way!" He yelled.

"What's going on?" Robin's voice crackled.

"People are panicking on the bridge, the alien must be here!" Beast Boy yelled.

"I'm almost there." Robin answered. "I can see you."

"We're almost across the bridge." Cyborg said as he swerved around another car.

A semi trailer groaned to a stop and Cyborg gaped as he saw a blue-skinned figure sitting atop the stack of I beams slamming the restraints into the metal. With a bang, a metal sheath popped off the restraints and toppled to the ground.

He lifted his arm toward the figure as he slammed on the brakes. The sonic cannon slid out and charged. "Stop what you're doing or I'll shoot!"

"Kak stoli?" The figure growled and Cyborg's eyes grew wide as it stood up to its full height. It must have been eight feet tall. "Yan'ye zonimay!" The creature's fist glowed with blue light and it lifted them to face Cyborg.

"Oh hell!" He fired.

The figure dove from the top of the trailer and slammed onto the hood of the car. The creature's paws grabbed hold of the windshield wipers and Beast Boy yelped.

The massive lion-like face of the creature snarled at Cyborg and he spun the wheel desperately. The tires squealed and Beast Boy started muttering prayers under his breath as the world spun.

* * *

Robin swore as the Cyborg's hatchback spun out of control. He swerved on his motorcycle and watched the blue and white car slide to a stop in the trees beside the road. A blue-skinned figure rolled off the hood and straightened up.

He gaped at the massive silhouette. It had a head like a lioness crowned with brilliant coppery read hair that draped around its shoulders. The creature's eyes glowed a brilliant blue-white and an identical color pulsed from its fists, which were shackled together.

A flash blazed from the creature's fists and Robin swore as the concrete exploded in front of him. His bike bucked and he slammed on the brakes. He lost control and fell. As he did, he tucked into a roll and grunted from the impact of the concrete on his armor.

He saw the metal I beam racing to meet him from the trailer of a semi and closed his eyes. There was a flash of pain, then nothing.

* * *

"Robin!" Beast Boy shouted as he clambered from Cyborg's car. The creature spun to face him, its shackled hands flaring with blue fire. A blast of light burned into asphalt in front of him. He yelped as bits of concrete sputtered across him. "Cy!"

A sonic blast roared over Beast Boy's shoulder and caught the creature, tossing it into the side of a parked car. "Booyah!" Cyborg shouted, and then he froze as the creature rolled off the car and growled. "Oh hell…"

The figure charged and a black shadow screeched into existence between them. A vast black raven spread out shielding them and Beast Boy shuddered from a chill as Raven slowly floated up from the ground behind them.

"That… that thing is going to wreck this whole city! No wonder the code for an alien arrival is 'wildfire'!" Beast Boy yelled. "We have to stop it!"

"How? I shot it point blank and it just got pissed off!" Cyborg yelled.

"Fighting might not be the answer." Raven said. The two stared at her in shock. "I can tell… it's weakening, in pain. I told Robin I could feel it…"

The black Raven slowly faded away as Raven spoke. Beast Boy stared and swore. "Raven… they're gone!"

"What!" Cyborg snapped and clambered over the ruined and pockmarked road surface. "There's his cycle… where…"

Raven closed her eyes. "The creature took him."

"Oh hell no!" Cyborg snapped. "We've got to find them!"

"No shit Sherlock." Raven said as Beast Boy transformed into a bloodhound. "I can track him mentally, but it's hard to get a lock on the creature…"

"Let's go… Robin's depending on us!" Cyborg said. "Whatever that thing is, it's got a lot of energy I should be able to track it from that alone."

Beast Boy's bloodhound pointed toward the south and Raven scowled. "That way? That's where I saw the ship."

"What is this, a smash and grab for people?" Cyborg asked. "He's gonna take Robin and run?"

"I don't think so… that ship looked toast." Raven said as she followed Beast Boy's red bloodhound.

"Why's it going back to the ship then?" Cyborg asked.

"Food preparation?" Raven suggested.

"That's not funny!" Cyborg snapped.

* * *

Survival… that was all that mattered to her, the form she held was not adapted to this world of green vegetation, water, and a dim average star. The creature's mind rushed through calculations and plans, her large paw like hands roving over the controls as the scanner hummed to life.

_This one,_ she thought. Looking back at the unconscious form she had brought back to the lab. _This one was sapient… adapted, native. _It would save her. The holo-projectors hummed to life as the scanner mapped the subject's gnome. _Yes, it would work… a base line was all that was required. The computers could apply her traits over the base and the gift of X'hal would transfer as well… _the creature hoped.

The creature leaned against the transfer mechanism as an alert chimed softly in the background. _They were coming. Time was short._


	6. Transference

_Author's Note: This story is now on an 'irregular' update cycle. It will be updated as I have chapters complete instead of monthly. Sorry for the rather long delay, but I'm rather busy these days._

_Thank you._

* * *

**Titans Reimagined #1: Starfall**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Transference**

* * *

Raven scowled as she scrambled through the woods, following Robin's mental signature as well as the alien. Behind her, Beast Boy ran, morphing into a bloodhound as he did so. Cyborg also had his scanner out as they followed the trail.

Even without the mental signature, a bloodhound, or a scanner, Raven was sure they'd easily be able to track the alien. Being seven or eight feet tall, and carrying Robin's dead weight ensure that the creature left a wide and visible trail. Smashed tree-limbs and heavy footprints marked their path.

"That... thing is fast." Raven muttered as she felt the pair of signatures stop far ahead. Through the trees, she caught sight of the gleaming wreck of the starship.

"I lost them, seems that something's interfering with my scanners." Cyborg said as he slowed to a jog, then stopped beside her. "Rae?"

"They're in the ship." Raven said as she pushed through a few more pine branches. "Come on."

"I really hope that thing's alone." Cyborg said.

* * *

Dick felt a throbbing pain in his temple, and his eyes fluttered open. A low rumble echoed in the dimly lit room, and he caught sight of a light blue beam that swept down his body. A strange smell filled the air, reminding him vaguely of flowers. Then a massive furry hand clasped his jaw and gently turned his face toward a pair of glowing blue eyes. A snort like some giant predator echoed in the room and Dick froze.

A second hand tapped a control beside what he realized seemed to be an operating table. With a snap, a force field shimmered into existence and he felt as if an immense weight was pressing him onto the table, holding him there. He guessed that some sort of artificial gravity field had engaged, holding him in place.

"What do you want?" Dick rasped as a set of instruments slowly descended from the ceiling, and another scanner waved over him.

The alien didn't answer, instead it tapped another button. Slowly the instruments dropped to just above him and a single syringe slid out from a port. Dick froze, his gaze focused on the syringe as a robotic arm moved it over his body to an arm and then lanced down. He flinched at the sudden pain from the needle and his eyes widened behind the mask as he saw the syringe slowly fill with a sample of his blood. Then the device cleaned the wound, sealing it shut with a spray of green fluid that seemed to make the skin heal almost instantly.

The alien rumbled to itself as a display flickered to life, and Dick watched as thousands of megabytes of data streamed past, and then stopped. Alien script flashed as he watched and the alien tapped another set of controls. He could see thousands of bits of data changing, morphing, until Dick was certain not a single bit of his genome was unaltered by the alien.

_What did it want, was it some sort of experiment?_ He shuddered at the thought then frowned. It didn't make sense, as they were trapped here, crashed on Earth.

The alien rumbled and moved over to a second set of instruments, pulling a syringe from the tray. It snarled before forcing the needle into its own arm and drawing a tube full of glowing purple blood. The creature then forced the sample into a centrifuge and grunted. After a few moments, it took the sample from the centrifuge and Dick stared as it drew out a glowing bright blue film from the test tube and pressed it into a sample container.

"X'hal." The alien muttered as another display flashed to life and Dick watched as the creature tapped out another series of commands before taking the remaining sample of its own blood to the side of the first display, which still showed a male human silhouette.

On the display, Dick watched in fascination as the genome began to flash as the alien gave another series of commands. A huge cylinder hissed as it slid out of a hole in the wall. Glowing green liquid filled the cylinder as he watched.

The alien stopped before the display, and Dick watched as the silhouette slowly morphed to a female form and grew taller. Thousands of messages in tiny script followed before the alien snorted and tapped another command.

A pulse of some liquid filled the cylinder and for a moment, Dick thought he saw it coalesce into a small fetal form. Then the cylinder retreated into the recess, which held it, and a hatch slammed shut over it.

Dick groaned as the lights overhead flickered, and he heard the alien moving to his side. He glanced to his left just as an operating table rose from the floor and stared as the creature laid down on its surface. The blue-white skin seemed to pale as he watched and the face like a lioness seemed to shiver before a scanner enveloped the creatures form. A moment later, a second instrument array descended over the creature and he watched in fascination as an injector plunged into its arm.

Then a pump rumbled to life and the alien let out a roar of pain, followed by a blast of brilliant blue-white light. Dick's felt a wave of energy slam into his side, and then everything went black.

* * *

Raven shuddered as the hatch on the side of the ship hissed open and Cyborg lowered his hacking terminal. The musky smell that followed reminded her of a poorly kept zoo, and as the three of them stepped inside a white corpse toppled from the side of the hatch and fell to the ground. She recoiled from the sight as Cyborg activated a light on his arm and swept the room, showing maybe a dozen other bodies blackened from burns. There were cages stacked on what normally Raven guessed would have been the deck.

Her empathic senses gave her a shiver down her spine as she stepped inside and slowly glanced around the room. She could feel a malevolence that seemed to permeate the very walls, some darkness to the ship. "A great evil was done here." She murmured.

Beast Boy stepped inside the room and swallowed nervously. "You think it was the creature?"

Raven frowned, focusing on the empathic signature she'd learned to identify as the alien in her mind. It pulsed with desperation and fear, but didn't have the same malevolent taint that imbued the very walls. She shook her head. "No, not unless the evil was what was done to it."

"Cages..." Cyborg bent before one of the bodies, turning it over to show a nose-less face and solid black eyes. He shuddered after a moment. "Anyone else used to watch X-files? You know what these look like?"

"Grays..." Beast Boy muttered under his breath. "Gray aliens... You mean these are the ones that supposedly abduct people and perform all sorts of weird experiments on them?"

"Yeah."

"That means the alien that grabbed Robin was probably a test subject," Raven muttered to herself. "And this is how she got free."

"Makes sense," Cyborg said as he stood up and wandered over to the next door. "You think you can lead us to Robin in here?"

"I think so." Raven muttered as she stepped forward and tapped the controls, her finger following the empathic echo of those that had used the console before her. The hatch snapped open a second later, revealing a darkened hallway.

"Why can't you just teleport us Rae?" Beast Boy asked.

"Because I don't know what's in there... I could teleport us into a solid wall and that would end our existence real quick," Raven said as she stepped inside and Cyborg followed lighting her way.

"Raven, what should we do when we find this creature? If it's not evil... I mean," Cyborg asked as he pulled down the cowl of his hoodie.

"I don't know." Raven answered as she walked along the corridor and stopped before a door. Reaching out she could feel both Robin and the alien's presence beyond the door. "Here, just beyond the door." She tapped the controls and scowled. "It seems to have been sealed."

"I'm on it." Cyborg said as he stepped up to the console and started hacking into it. "It might take a while."

Beast Boy leaned against the door as Cyborg started working and let out a long sigh. "I'm bored now..."

"Don't lean on the door, what if it snaps open." Cyborg muttered and Beast Boy ignored him.

Raven swallowed, focusing on the empathic signatures beyond the door and frowned. "We're coming Robin, just hold on."

* * *

Robin stirred and his eyes fluttered for a moment. Pain lanced through his head as he opened his eyes and his groan echoed in the dimly lit compartment.

In the dim glow of console running lights he caught the sight of another table beside him. Atop it was the creature… the vaguely feline form that had chased the team through the forests. It looked almost like a blue shaved lion with a fiery red mane of hair that ran down its back.

He rolled off the table he'd lain on and groaned before stepping up to the body. Robin's gaze flickered over the form. _How do you find a pulse on an alien?_

With a bang, the hatch burst open and the familiar form of Beast Boy tumbled into the room.

"I told you, don't lean against the door!" Cyborg's voice echoed from outside the room.

"Hey I found him!" Beast Boy yelled.

Robin smiled faintly as the teen jumped up and down in greeting and Cyborg slipped inside, followed shortly after by Raven.

"That's not all you found BB…" Cyborg said pointing toward the body on the table.

Raven lowered her cowl and bent over the body. "I sense it still nearby. How can it be dead?"

"It is dead, isn't it?" Beast Boy asked.

"This one is." Robin said. "At least… appears to be."

"I do not sense the presence in the body… but it is close by." Raven said.

A hiss filled the room and Robin sat up just as a capsule slid out of the wall. Robin turned and stepped back as a dull glow flared from what looked to be a window on the capsule. Then it began to open, splitting into three parts that spread like a blooming flower. Thick glowing green liquid spilled from the capsule carrying a limp female form with bronze skin and fiery red hair along with it.

Instinctively Robin knelt down beside the bronze skinned girl and grabbed her wrist, running a thumb along it. "She has a pulse."

Then without saying a word the figure rolled onto her side and wretched, spilling green fluid onto the deck plating. A gasp for breath followed and Robin put a hand on the girl's back. Then her eyes opened.

They glowed, a brilliant iridescent green. It made her eyes shimmer like a light shining through emeralds and a shout of shock echoed in the small room as she grabbed Robin, her hands engulfed in a vibrant green glow. Before he could react the girl pulled his head to hers and kissed him.

It felt like an electric shock followed by the dull cloudy mental image of one roving through his mind, searching for something… then with a flash the kiss broke and the girl dropped him onto the deck. It was only then that Robin realized she was bare to the world.

"If you wish not to be destroyed, you will leave me alone!" She snarled and green glowing energy encircled her whole body. She lifted from the floor and held out her arms toward them, threatening them with the green light.

"What the hell is going on?" Cyborg shouted.

Raven's eyes widened. "It's her… she's the creature now."

Robin's mind slammed into overdrive and he lifted his hands passively, the creature… the alien. Raven had said it'd been weakening. Maybe it couldn't survive in the environment. It had to adapt itself… hence the abduction… hence the girl standing before them, nude and glowing with green fury.

"We mean you no harm." Robin said quietly.

"No?" The girl almost snarled, though the green aura dimmed somewhat. Then it flared. "You harm… you fight! You lie!"

"We didn't understand!" Robin said.

"Did not understand…" The girl looked confused, her glow abating as the anger fled.

"Yeah, we thought you were attacking us!" Cyborg snapped.

"Oh…" The girl's voice turned small and quiet before she suddenly dropped back to the deck plating. "I did not think… did not know you were truly sapient until the one called Richard'Grayson."

Robin froze as Raven snickered. Cyborg's voice was filled with mirth. "Richard… your name is Richard, Rob?"

"You mean Richard Grayson of the Flying Graysons?" Beast Boy suddenly shouted.

Robin swallowed. "Uh…"

"That means…" Cyborg's voice sudden grew pensive. "Batman must be Bruce Wayne."

"Fuck." Robin said.

Beast Boy's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Oh my God!"

"Tell no one!" Robin snapped. "Got it?" There were nods from the others except the girl.

"Have I spoken in error?" She asked timidly. "Was the one called Richard's name a secret?"

"Call me Robin." He said quickly.

"Oh, I see… you prefer the name your mother called you." The girl said… "Call me…" Her face scrunched up in concentration and her glowing green eyes flicked toward the ceiling. "The translation… translation would be… 'Starfire'." She said.

"Okay, Starfire." Robin said. "Cyborg, could you give her your hoodie… the skin is a bit distracting."

"Skin?" Starfire asked looking perplexed while Cyborg sighed and pulled off the grey hoodie he wore. With a flourish, he pulled it over the girl, trapping her arms to her sides. Then he pulled the hood up over her damp red hair. Her eyes glowed with bioluminescence beneath the cowl as she looked down at clothes. "Oh… it is cool and the 'hoodie' is warm?"

"Something like that," Robin said with a slight smile before pulling a cotton swab from his belt and wiping it over the inside cheek of the corpse on the table. Starfire's green gaze watched him as he dropped the dna sample in a zip bag and stood up. "We should get back."

"What about the mess?" Beast Boy asked.

Robin scowled slightly before giving a shrug. "I'll handle it guys, and get Star a place to stay."

"Star?" Starfire blinked for a moment. "Oh, is this the shortening of a name for ease of use… a 'nick name'?"

"Something like that," Robin said as he glanced back out the hatch. "You get GPS coordinates for the wreck Cy?"

"Of course… I'll send you an e-mail with them." Cyborg said.

"Then let's get out of here… unless there is anything from the ship you want Star?" Robin said he caught the orange-skinned girl shiver involuntarily for a moment then shook her head.

"Robin… may I speak with you for a moment?" Raven asked quietly.

"Sure thing, Cyborg, can you take Star back to my bike? You have it don't you?" Robin asked as he stuffed the zip bag and sample into a pouch on his belt.

"Yeah, sure thing Bird Boy," Cyborg said.

"Whom is this 'Bird Boy' and what is a 'bike'? I do not see how a single seat means of conveyance by the peddling would be sufficient…" Star said as she was led away by Cyborg.

Robin felt a smile tug at his lips while Raven stepped up behind him. "This will be such a joy." Her flat tone was laced with sarcasm as she spoke. "I have a better read on her now."

"What can you tell me?" Robin asked.

"Something bad happened here… the walls seem imbued with pain and suffering. She is strained and afraid." Raven said.

"Wouldn't you be?" Robin asked.

"Yes, I would." Raven's dark blue eyes seemed to glimmer from behind the cowl of her hood. "Can you handle a girl in your lair Robin?"

"I think I can." He said with a smirk. "Plus, I think I can find out a bit more without asking too many questions."

"Be kind to her." Raven said.

"I will." Robin said before pulling his communicator from the utility belt he wore. "Batman, its Robin, I need you to forward a DNA sample to Hal… got it from an alien corpse. I'll be sending you the coordinates of the crash site later tonight. Figured Fox might want a look at it."

"Understood, I take it the Wildfire is contained?" The gruff voice of Batman answered.

"It is… I'll contact you later with the coordinates." Robin said.

With a click, the connection severed and Robin stood up before heading toward the hatch. "Was there something else, Raven?"

"This isn't the only corpse we found Robin… there are a bunch of others in other parts of the ship," She said. "Different species."

"Hell." Robin said as he stood up. "Let's get back with the others."

Robin took a deep breath as he followed Raven through the ship to the external hatch. As it slid open a slight smile slipped across his face as he heard Starfire's voice.

"It is a motorcycle, it is not a bike!"

"Same thing..." Cyborg was saying as Robin glanced over to see the three of them clustered around his bike. A lopsided smile appeared on Cyborg's space as saw Robin. "You've got one tough bike here, Robin."

"It is not a bike!" Starfire insisted.

"Batman tech, it has to be tough... Starfire, 'bike' is slang for motorcycle as well as being the shortened name for bicycle." Robin said and Starfire blinked for a moment before glancing at the ground. "I guess you're a bit literal with language."

"Yes, I did not think that it would work that way." She said quietly.

A circle of police cars had surrounded the crashed ship, and Robin could see the police cautiously watching the craft. He took a deep breath and glanced at Raven. "Anyone else alive inside that thing?"

"No." Raven said flatly.

"Alright, I'll talk to the police and give them the short form. You guys can head home," Robin said as he nodded to the others. "Starfire, come on..."

The bronze skinned girl nodded and stepped beside Robin, looking nervous in the hoodie that looked almost like a winter coat on her thin figure. Her green eyes glimmered in the dim light as Robin made his way over to the lead police car. A slight smile appeared after a moment as the figure which stood beside the lead car dressed in a trench coat was one he recognized.

"Detective Carter!" Robin said and the man nodded to his partner, a rather slight looking redheaded woman before turning to him.

"Robin, I guess I should be glad you showed up here... A real mess, I wonder what would have happened had you and your team not been here." He said with a slight smile. "So, could you explain to me what happened?"

Robin thought for a long moment, unsure how to explain the situation, and certain that he didn't want Starfire's identity as the creature which had torn up the street released to the public. He didn't know Carter well enough to know whether the man could handle that sort of secret either.

"I got a call from the Justice League, wildfire protocol, which is the code for an unknown alien landing. I guess it's happened before, or my old boss just has more contingency plans than even I know about." Robin rubbed his mask after a moment before letting out a sigh. "A creature, probably a test subject of some sort, survived the crash and killed the crew. We cornered the creature and well... it died, probably wasn't adapted to the environment." He felt Starfire's green-eyed gaze flick over to him. "There was only one survivor, Starfire here."

Carter's gaze flicked over to the girl for a moment before he nodded. "So, you want me to take her to the hospital or something?"

"No, she checks out, no injuries... I'll take her. Plus, aliens are Justice League jurisdiction." Robin said.

The Detective grimaced. "I suppose you're right. Well, does that mean the league will do the clean up?"

"I think so." Robin said. "Listen, I've got to go... Starfire just has a borrowed hoodie right now, and I don't know how her biology will handle exposure."

The Detective nodded and stepped back. "Alright, call me when you've got something on the Ravager's gun runner."

"I will," Robin assured him before stepping over to his bike and climbing aboard. "Come on Starfire."

The girl cautiously slipped in behind him and held on as he revved the cycle and rumbled through the woods until he hit the highway. Then he shot down the road heading back toward the city. Starfire's arms tightened around him and he glanced back to see her green eyes sparkling in the dim light.

Robin swallowed down a lump in his throat as Star pressed herself against his back, giggling from the wind wiping through her hair. It was a pleasant almost musical sound, and Robin forced himself to ignore it. She was so close however and holding so tight to him that he couldn't. Every time he tried to forget the girl clad only in Cyborg's triple X sized hoodie her breath caught the hairs at the base of his neck and sent a chill rolling down his back.

Before he was ready for it to end, the housing complex that held his apartment appeared at the end of the block. He hid the bike in a side alley under a tarp and quickly led her through the doors and up a dozen flights of stairs.

He then stepped to the room's door and paused. "Starfire, how'd you know about my mother's name for me?"

The girl's glowing eyes blinked in the shadow of the cowl. "It is the gift of X'hal, the joining of the minds during the exchange of bodily fluids…"

"Bodily… oh, saliva from the kiss," Robin said quietly to himself before inserting the key into the lock. "You looked into my mind?"

"I needed to know the language in order to speak to you." She said flatly. "It meant nothing and I was so afraid. I needed you to understand."

Robin nodded and turned the lock. He opened the door and froze.

With his feet kicked up on the table beside the kitchenette was a rather plain looking redheaded man with a bemused smile on his face. "Dick!"

"Hal…" Robin said with a grumble before stepping up to the table. A large ring was on his finger emblazoned with a lantern insignia. Starfire leaned over his shoulder and stared at the man.

"Oh come on man… Batman said you needed me for something. Aren't you going to give me a call once in a while without work getting involved?" Hal said and glanced at the girl. "Oh… did I interrupt an attempt to get laid?"

"Shut it Hal." Robin said as he took Starfire's hand and pulled her through the door then closed it. "Could you not use my real name when I'm wearing the fucking mask?"

Hal's gaze flicked back to Starfire and his eyes widened. "She's not human."

"You think…" Robin grumbled before pulling out the zip lock bag. "DNA… I'd like a dossier on the corpse."

Hal shrugged. "Alright…" He took the bag from him and pulled out the cotton swab. Slowly he passed it over the ring and a green light shone from its center. Then his eyes widened again. "Interesting… Koriand'r of Tamaran… third in line to the throne, if the Citadel hadn't conquered them six months ago," Hal murmured. Starfire shuddered at those words and Hal's gaze flicked to her. Then he shrugged. "I'll see what Green Lantern Intelligence has on her… pity she's dead."

"Thank you." Robin said. "You know anything about the ship that crashed?"

"Watchtower picked it up." Hal said. "From the sensor readings… I think it was a Psion vessel."

"Psion?" Robin asked. "I know next to nothing about aliens Hal."

"You ever hear about 'Grays'?" Hal asked. "Alien abductions and experimentation?"

Robin nodded slowly. "Yeah…"

"The Grays are what we call the Psions." Hal said. "They're devoid of emotions, empathy, and morality… all they want is the advancement of their knowledge and they're willing to use grizzly and painful experiments to advance that aim."

"I see…" Robin glanced at Starfire. "If an alien escaped them and landed on earth… would they be able to claim refugee status?"

"That depends on the status of their homeworld." Hal said. "If their home is under occupation, we would certainly consider it. An alien from the Vegan system could certainly apply for that status."

Starfire swallowed. "Princess Koriand'r is not dead."

Hal's gaze flicked to her.

"The Psion vessel had a Branx cloning cylinder. I was able to obtain a sample of the human genome." She glanced at Robin as if asking if that was the correct word. "And I was able to modify the gift of X'hal to this world's star and transferred both mind and gift to this body. I… I cannot go back."

Hal stared for a long moment. "Princess… that is impressive," His gaze flicked to Robin. "I'll get the paperwork for her Terran card started and ask about a refugee status claim." He stood. "Princess, Dick." Then he slipped past the two of them and out the door.

When it shut, Robin glanced at her. "You're a princess?"

"No longer… I cannot be a princess without a kingdom… I am no one." She said quietly.

"No, you're not 'no-one.'" Robin said as he stepped over to the refrigerator. "Would you like something to eat? I could get pizza or…"

"I am hungry but unfamiliar with the cuisine of this world… and I am tired." Star said quietly. Robin glanced at her as she tugged at the strings for the hood nervously. "The gift of X'hal requires the light of the sun… without it I feel… drained." She yawned. "Am I to stay here with you?"

"For now…" Robin said. "Did you want to go with one of the others?"

"No, how am I to repay for the gift of shelter you offer?" Starfire asked.

Robin blinked. "No… you don't have to pay me back."

"No?" Starfire looked confused. "Do I not have something you desire in exchange?"

"Umm… I didn't offer to get anything from you. I was being nice." Robin said.

"Nice?" She asked. "My world does not have this word. I do not understand its meaning."

Robin's eyes nearly bugged out of his sockets. No word for nice, what culture would lack a word for nice? He swallowed. "How about kind?"

"I do not know, perhaps… being charitable to those of lesser status? That is kind?" Starfire asked. "That is nice?"

"Sort of… nice is helping those that are your friends…" Robin said.

"I have never had friends before," Starfire said. "It was forbidden."

"Because you were a princess?" Robin asked.

"Yes…" Starfire said. Her face turned distraught.

Robin nodded once. Similar things happened on earth, though rarely in modern times. A slight smile tugged at his face. "Now that you are no longer a princess, you can have friends."

"Yes!" Starfire's face immediately brightened. "Does this mean we are friends?"

"I think so." Robin said and smiled at her. "Would you like to be friends?"

Her green eyes seemed to study his face for several long moments before she clapped her hands together and bounced on the balls of her feet. "Yes!"

Robin chuckled to himself at her reaction. "I'll see about getting something for us to eat then…" Then Robin reached up to the mask and hesitated. "Aww screw it." He swiped it off and dropped it on the table.

Star's eyes widened and her gaze locked with his bright blue eyes. "Robin?"

"Yeah?" Robin asked.

"Why do you hide your eyes?" Starfire asked.

"Well… that's hard to explain." Robin said. "It's part of the reason why I didn't want you to say my name."

"Oh…"

There was a knock at the door and Robin frowned slightly. With a shrug, he stood and went to the door. Looking through the peephole, he caught sight of a familiar face framed with curly red hair holding a set of pizza boxes before her. "Babs?" He muttered to himself and pulled open the door. "Babs!"

Barbara Gordon grinned from behind the pizza boxes. "Dick! I'd hug you but…" She gestured to the three cardboard boxes in her hands.

"Babs… this really isn't the best time." Robin said as he took the boxes from her. "But… oh what the hell, come on in."

"Are you entertaining, boy blunder?" Barbara asked.

"Umm… sort of." Robin said as he stepped back from the door and glanced to the table. "Star… I've got someone here you might want to meet."

"Star?" Barbara asked just as the alien girl leaned out from hall to the bathroom. Her eyes widened on seeing the bronze skin and glowing green eyes.

"Babs this is Starfire." Robin said before gesturing between the girls. "She'll be rooming with me for awhile. Starfire, this is my friend Barbara Gordon."

"Babs is a 'nick name' correct?" Starfire asked. When Robin nodded she smiled. "I am glad to meet Babs."

"Wow… umm… first could you let me set this pizza down?" Barbara asked. Robin chuckled and took the boxes from her. "Oh… thanks."

"Pizza, great, neither of us has eaten." Robin said as he set it down on the counter top. _In fact, Star's body technically never has eaten._ A slight smirk played across his face at the thought before he straightened up.

"I was going to call you first, but when I tried you weren't answering." Barbara said. "Busy?"

Starfire glanced between them still wearing the extra-large hoodie. "Perhaps the ship's hull was sufficient to disable the signal to the calling device…"

Robin felt himself smile at her strange grammar. "Probably… either that or I was knocked out at the time."

"I am sorry." Starfire said. "Babs has brought us a feast! I feel most welcome." She clapped her hands together. "Thank you, new friend!" Then Starfire hugged the redhead and giggled while Barbara grunted from the girl's surprising strength.

When Starfire let go and bounced away happily Babs looked over at Robin and whispered. "Uh… Dick. Why is she wearing just a hoodie?"

Robin's cheeks flushed and he sighed. "She didn't have any clothes when we found her… Cyborg gave her the hoodie and we haven't had time to get her anything else. We just got home Babs."

"Alright…" Barbara said. "Damn Dick, you leave for a week and already got an alien girlfriend?" She teased him.

Robin snorted. "She's not my girlfriend Babs. Maybe you could go buy her something decent to wear…"

Babs rolled her eyes. "Fine Dick… I guess she does need clothes."

Robin sighed. "This is going to be… interesting." He pulled open the fridge and grabbed a large bottle of water for himself. "Can I get you anything to drink Babs?"

"A coke?" Babs suggested. "What about Starfire…?"

Robin shrugged and pulled out two coke cans from the refrigerator. "We'll find out what she likes."

He set down the drinks on the small table as Starfire perched backwards on the chair and cocked her head. "Is this the pizza?" She asked as Babs set down the cardboard boxes. She sniffed and a bit of drool rolled down the corner of her mouth. "I am most hungry… is this a delicacy on your world?"

"Not really." Babs said with a slight smile before sitting down.

Robin flipped open the box and watched as Star's eyes widened. Her gaze flicked around the pizza as she leaned over it curiously. "It is round…"

"Yes it is… Here, let me help you get a slice." Robin said as he pulled a slice from the pie and handed it to Starfire.

She looked at it in confusion for a moment, sniffed the slice and then took a bite. Her eyes went wide and she rocked slightly in the chair. After swallowing it she smiled. "It is glorious… so many flavors, I do not know the words to describe the taste."

Robin smiled. "You like it then?"

"Yes!" She giggled and took another slice. "It is most pleasant."

Babs snorted to herself as she took a slice of her own. Then she leaned over to Robin. "I like her."

Robin took a pull from the water and smiled. Starfire watched closely as Babs opened her can of coke then slowly picked up her own can. She tilted it for a few moments before opening the pull-tab and jumping back as a small geyser of cola sprayed across her front. She held out her arms and growled. "It is sticky!"

Babs was laughing as Starfire tried to shake the cola from the hoodie. "It is not humorous… it is sticky."

"Sorry Star." Robin said. "We can wash it in a bit…" He glanced over her form. She was taller than he was, but maybe something would fit. "I've got some clothes you can wear when we wash that hoodie."

"Oh… I am thankful." Starfire said and smiled faintly. Slowly she glanced at Babs as she took another sip from her can and frowned slightly. Then she cautiously lifted her cola can to her lips and took a sip.

Her eyes were already wide from the experiences she'd already endured over the last few minutes, but now her gaze defocused and she stared at the wall as if struck.

"Star?" Robin asked.

She blinked then glanced at the drink before giggling manically. "It is bubbly and sweet… and tickles the nose."

"I think she likes that too." Babs said and grinned. "Are you enjoying yourself Star?"

"Immensely, is this 'the bonding time' that make friends?" Starfire asked.

Robin smirked. "I think so." He took his own slice of pizza and glanced at the last of the three boxes. Inside was a desert pizza. He could imagine Star's happiness at tasting yet another new food. A part of him was jealous of the joy she was taking in the mundane things around him, but another part was glad to be around her. She seemed to be a bright light in the dim world he'd lived within.

Babs was grinning, giving him a knowing smirk that unnerved Robin a bit. "I think we could do some 'female bonding' later."

"Oh glorious… I shall enjoy taking part in 'the female bonding time' with Babs." Starfire giggled. "You have made me most welcome."

"Don't you dare corrupt her Babs." Robin said with a grin.

"Corrupt… Oh, are you 'the teasing' your friend?" Star asked.

Babs snorted. "Yes… he's teasing."

* * *

Bruce Wayne frowned as he read the report that Hal had made on the alien from the ship and glanced back at the displays. Wayne Enterprises had already started cleanup at the crash site, after he made an appearance to convince the police that they were authorized. Lucius Fox had muttered something about salvageable technologies he could use, and Wayne was sure that he'd soon be field testing more gadgets as Batman.

The Green Lantern dossier that Hal had attached made his stomach turn. This young woman, if the term young woman really could apply to an alien that had just made a human body for herself, had been through an immense amount in her already short life.

He rubbed his head and sighed as he saw that Barbara Gordon's bat tracker was in New York. It was quite late already, and he wondered if Dick had asked her to stay to help him with the girl.

The communication channel with the Watchtower crackled to life. "Batman, it's Hal."

Bruce groaned and pulled on his cowl before taking the call. "Batman here."

"Green Lantern Intelligence just put out an alert. A Gordanian Slave transport just left the Vega system," Hal said. "It'll be here in a week."

"Damn, no doubt Princess Koriand'r is the reason they're on the way." Batman muttered.

"The League needs to make a decision on her request for refuge, Batman," Hal said quietly. "But all things considered, I don't have a good reason for not doing it except to hand her over. We're not going to do that, are we?"

"No... We're not." Batman said quietly. "Alright, schedule a League meeting in two days to discuss this."

"Right." Hal said. "We're doing the right thing Batman."

"I know." Bruce said.

* * *

He rubbed his eyes and sighed, the other documents that Hal had sent began to make more sense as they included information on Tamaranian physiology, society, culture, and psychology. Skimming through it Richard groaned.

The Tamaranians were a race of roughly humanoid felines with around three times the muscle density of Humans. There most unique trait was known as 'The Gift of X'hal' as all Tamaranians were hosts to a symbiotic autotroph roughly akin to plankton that bound itself to their nerves and cellular structure. In the Vega system the autotroph would suck up and store the immense solar radiation of their sun providing its host with a source of energy when food was scarce. The stored energy could also be used to generate lift enabling the creatures to fly.

One other ability from the Gift of X'hal stood out in his mind… apparently the connection between the Tamaranian's mind and the autotrophs could allow them to link minds and assimilate knowledge during an exchange of bodily fluids.

That explains the kiss a bit better, Richard thought to himself.

There was no mention for the ability to discharge the energy as blasts of coherent light… Maybe it was a product of Psion experimentation or royal lineage. Richard wasn't sure how much of what he learned still applied to Starfire… her body was no longer Tamaranian but a human's or at least very close to normal human's body.

Then he turned to the dossier that Hal had managed to compile and took a deep breath.

_Green Lantern Intelligence Report:_

_Subject: Koriand'r, Princess of Tamaran_

_Daughter of Grand Ruler Myand'r…_

Richard swallowed as he started to read, his eyes widening in shock every few words. Most of the information in the first few paragraphs had been simple biographical bits like date of birth, parents, siblings, titles, and other things. Then when the document began to fill out the details of her history a picture began to emerge, a horrifying picture.

When the Citadel attacked Tamaran, elements of the local population had aided them, rising up against the Grand Leader and his family. Royal Lines that had rallied to the Citadel cause were placed as the heads of the new Tamaran government while those that been loyal were sold into slavery or worse.

_Taken by soldiers of House Ral as a spoil of war…_

Spoil of war, those three words sent his mind reeling. He knew what such a fate meant if Tamaran was anything like Earth. Even the civilized and disciplined troops of an army could be capable of immense cruelty… rape, murder, theft, looting all those things still followed an army even in this day. If Starfire had been taken as a spoil of war… Richard wiped a tear from his eye and glanced at the couch where Starfire lay beneath a blanket.

…_after two weeks she was sold to the Citadelians as a slave._

Richard's blood was boiling as he read of the conditions for slaves under the Citadel. The Citadelians apparently were a carnivorous race that would use their slaves as food when they had displeased their masters. Those that the truly hated were given a worse fate, sale to the Psions as test subjects.

That had been her fate, and from what Hal had sent, it had been the last the Green Lanterns knew of the girl. The girl now sleeping on the couch curled up into a ball.

Richard snapped shut the laptop. His anger flared as Babs stared at him. "Dick?"

He tried to contain his anger, taking in deep breaths one after another then opened the laptop again and spun it toward her. Before she could respond he stood and stalked toward the couch. He closed his eyes and sat down beside her. "Oh God Star..."

Babs hunched over the laptop and quickly read through the dossier, her eyes widening as she did. "Dick?"

Richard ran a hand along her cheek and sighed. "No wonder she attacked us… after being through a hell like that." He felt another set of tears run down his cheek. "Damn… it's not fair… how can she be so bubbly and happy after that…?"

"She's strong…" Babs said quietly. "Undeniably strong."

Suddenly Starfire grabbed his hand and held it to her cheek, a murmur slipping from her before she rolled sideways and her head dropped off the side of the sofa. Richard swallowed and slowly slipped his hand from her grasp. Her murmurs in an alien language drew his attention for a moment, were they dreams, nightmares?

"I'll get a sleeping bag out Babs. I assume you're crashing here for the night?" Richard finally said as he tore his gaze away from Star.


	7. A Lost Soul

**Titans Reimagined #1: Starfall**

* * *

**Chapter 7: A Lost Soul**

* * *

Robin dodged a baseball bat and lashed out with a kick that knocked the weapon from the hands of the clown masked thug that he faced. Another one lashed out with a punch that he dodged before Robin slammed him in the stomach with a fist. The thug doubled over and wretched into his mask.

"Watch it!" The familiar voice of Barbara Gordon shouted in his ear and Robin dove as a crowbar from behind nearly caught him. The creak of leather was followed by the crunch of a pair of snap kicks striking flesh. He glanced up as Batgirl backed away from another thug.

From the end of the hall a familiar white faced form with blackened eyes and red makeup covering a pair of scarred cheeks stepped from the gloom. He looked greasy and worn, with stringy hair, and an amused smirk on his face. He pulled a gleaming magnum revolver from his tattered purple suit pocket and lifted it up. The clown aimed for Batgirl's exposed back.

"Babs!" Richard shouted leaping between her and the Joker. The clown pulled the trigger on his magnum at that moment and a lance of pain shot through his shoulder. He grunted and spun for a moment before dropping onto the ground.

"Great shot puddin'!" A woman clad in a dirty and frayed looking jester's outfit stepped into view, a smirk playing across her face and twisting her scarred cheeks into a demonic visage. She had a baseball bat tapping against her shoulder before her smirk turned truly predatory, "Batter up!"

The metallic clink of the baseball bat echoed in the alley and Dick bit his lip to keep from screaming in pain. Harley danced back from him for a moment as the Joker clapped in admiration of the strike. "You want a turn puddin'?"

"Certainly…" The Joker stepped into view once more, this time with a crowbar in hand and adjusted his dusty purple suit. "I'm sure this will hurt you a lot more than it hurts me, sonny boy!"

A black form dove between the two of them and kicked the crowbar from his hand. Richard gasped as the bar clattered to the street just beside his feet. "Oh yes… the pretty BAT." Joker sneered.

"Leave him alone!" The figure snarled and Richard's dazed mind swam for a moment. It didn't sound like Babs… but the voice was familiar, female…

"No." The Joker lifted the magnum again and fired. A shriek of pain echoed in the alley.

With a jolt, Richard Grayson snapped out of the nightmare, sweat pouring down his brow, the scream still echoing in the room. He swallowed, and glanced over toward the door to the bedroom where Babs had crashed. He'd been a gentleman, taking the sleeping bag and camping out in the living room to watch the alien girl, worried that some unforeseen side effect of her transference would crop up. He was just about to lay back down when a second scream echoed in the room. Dick glanced toward the couch and gasped.

Starfire was aglow, her whole body flaring with green bioluminescent light and struggling under the blanket. Her mouth was open in a silent scream and she shook in what looked almost like a convulsion.

"Star!" Robin scrambled out of the sleeping bag and knelt beside the couch, his arms grabbing her shoulders and giving them a quick shake. "Wake up!"

Another scream of pain tore from her lips as Babs stumbled into the room, her face grave. "Dick?"

"Starfire!" He snapped again and suddenly her eyes wrenched open. For a moment, they stared up at him in confusion and then she sat up, tears and sweat rolling down her cheeks. Her hand lit up with a green light filling the room and her glowing eyes flicked around the room. Then she let out a sigh of relief.

Richard stared at her. "Star?"

"I apologize, Robin, it was the mare of the nights… I did not mean to disturb your rest." She shuddered involuntarily before looking up to meet his gaze. "Robin?"

"It's okay… I had one too… Kind of glad you woke me." Robin said quietly as he gripped her shoulders. "It's okay…"

Babs stared as Starfire suddenly wrapped her arms around Robin and hugged him, burying her head in his shoulder and shaking. Slowly Robin stroked her back. He whispered quietly to her. "It's okay. No one here will hurt you."

A shuddering breath slipped from Starfire before she clutched him again and pulled Dick into a tight hug. Tears streamed down her face and she rubbed her eyes against his t-shirt. "Robin… I am not the making you uncomfortable am I?" She asked.

"No, it's okay… Babs woke up to… do you want to talk about it?" Robin asked.

"No." She whispered. "I just would like to continue with the cuddling."

He couldn't help but laugh at that.

* * *

Barbara Gordon watched the two of them for a long moment before she closed the microwave and started it up. While she waited, Barbara thought about how the whole day had gone sideways, she'd hoped to find Dick cooled off and alone. Instead she found him with this girl, a beautiful naïve and alien girl. Part of her wondered at it, she and Dick had shared their own intimate moments but… whatever it was that was developing between the girl and Dick was something else. Whatever it was, Starfire was now dependent on Dick for his protection and knowledge of the world.

That thought actually frightened her, the 'Boy Blunder' taking care of an alien girl and introducing her to Earth life. An attractive red-headed alien girl… Babs shook her head at those thoughts and snorted. Only someone that naïve would fall for Dick.

She froze and let out a long sigh, who was she kidding… his good nature was part of the damn attraction.

She sighed, Dick hadn't been the same since they'd gambled on a relationship and gotten burned. Part of her wondered if it wasn't Batman that drove Dick from Gotham but herself.

The microwave beeped and Barbara pulled out the three cups of steaming hot water, set them down and quickly mixed the cocoa in. Dick was still comforting the girl, and Babs felt a pang of jealousy. She squashed it immediately and walked over to the two of them. "Here."

"Thanks." Dick said as he took a mug and settled it into her hands. "Star… this is hot chocolate, it's a drink that I always liked because it helped calm me down a bit… come on, try some."

"It might be a bit hot." Barbara said just as Star took a long drink from the mug, her eyes widening.

"It is good… I feel a little better." She said. "But it is not as good as the cuddles."

Dick laughed again and took the second mug from Barbara's hands. "Well it's nice to be appreciated."

"It is one of the only things you're good at Dick," Barbara said as she took a sip from her mug. "Maybe it's a good thing you woke up Star… we need to get you some clothes."

"Clothes?" Starfire looked bewildered.

"Umm… do Tamaranians have clothes?" Dick asked.

"We have armors and some… garments to hide away the sexual organs, but not nearly as covering garments as humans." Starfire said quietly. "Is the clothes a requisite part of your society?"

"Yes, it's considered extremely rude or even criminal to be nude in public." Barbara said.

"Oh… then I must have clothes. Surely there are clothes that do not cover so much? My body needs the sun to recharge." Starfire said.

"We'll think of something, first though I'll have to figure out what your size is." Babs said and shrugged. "You have a tape-measure Dick?"

"Utility belt… kind of need it for investigations sometimes." Dick said after taking a sip of cocoa. "Anything I can do?"

"Not right now." Barbara said as she grabbed the tape measure from the belt. "Come on Star, I need to figure out your measurements."

"Oh… so the clothes would fit properly?" Star asked and stood up gingerly. Babs pulled her into the bedroom and closed the door. She bit her lip for a moment before unrolling the tape measure. "Should I remain clothed?" Starfire asked.

"For now… I'll tell you if I need to take them off." Babs said as she quickly measured her height, bust, underbust, hip, and waist circumference. "Hmm… You're pretty tall but so slender…"

"Is that bad?" Starfire asked quietly.

"No… you've got a model figure." Babs said and laughed as Starfire scrunched up her face as if trying to decipher her statement. "Never mind… I think I can figure your sizes from that." She looked up at Starfire and pursed her lips. "Are you… umm… were you unusually tall for a Tamaranian?"

"Yes… all members of the royal family are of considerably greater height, I do not know why. Perhaps it is the genes?" Starfire blushed. "Did my height translate to my human body as well?"

Babs looked up at her and grinned. "I'm slightly taller than average… five foot eight, and you're a full two inches taller than me, and I'm not even sure you're done growing."

"Inches?" Starfire asked. Babs merely held up the tape measure and pointed to the numbers. Starfire nodded. "I see… so I am very tall?"

"Yeah, it's nothing to worry about though Starfire." Babs said. _She's about a 10 or a large… damn I feel short next to her._ "Umm… how old are you?"

Starfire looked confused for a moment. "I do not know the conversion from our year to yours… but I am two and a third Tamaranian years…"

Babs rubbed her forehead and sighed, this was quickly getting nowhere. "Umm… are you considered an adult?"

"No I shall not be an adult until my third day of birth." Starfire said. "Or… I would if I was Tamarian, I have no idea when my… new form is… mature."

"I don't know either…" She pursed her lips and looked up at Starfire. Babs did a quick bit of mental arithmetic based on what she had said, her body should be around the equivalent of a thirteen or fourteen year old, and yet she was already taller than her and with adult proportions. Perhaps they considered maturity to be a bit later then the end of growth… She did look to be about the same age as Dick, maybe a year or two younger at most. Babs finally just shrugged. "We'll figure it out sometime. Anyway, I'll see if Dick has anything else for you to wear… you really need to wear more than just that hoodie."

"It is not sufficient? But it covers most." Starfire asked glancing down at her body. "It is still sticky."

Babs chuckled and opened a drawer. She quickly pulled out a set of Dick's underwear and a t-shirt. "Put these on for now… it's what most people wear during the night. We can raid Dick's closet in the morning for clothes to wear while we go shopping."

"Oh…" Starfire picked up the underwear. "Umm… I am not certain where these clothes are meant to be worn."

Babs face-palmed and groaned then she took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Let me help."

* * *

Starfire closed her eyes as she finished pulling on the last of the garments that had been laid out before her. Slowly she looked down and tugged at the t-shirt she was certain was meant for Richard as Barbara adjusted the clothes slightly and slipped a belt around her waist.

"I am useless," Starfire murmured as Babs finished.

"Hmm?" Barbara asked quietly.

Starfire tugged at a piece of lint and whimpered. "I do not even know the basics of dressing my own self. It is most embarrassing." She glanced up at Barbara and swallowed. "I should have done more than absorb his languages. There is so much I do not know... You have been most kind and understanding."

"It's fine Starfire." Barbara said as the first rays of sunlight began to peek through the blinds of the room. "How are you feeling, anything odd or worrisome?"

"I... I do not know," Starfire said cautiously. "My throat feels raw, perhaps it was the screaming." She blinked her eyes and felt a bead of water run down her cheek. Cautiously she lifted a finger to it and wiped it away. "My eyes, they are leaking?"

"It's just tears, Starfire," Babs said quietly before tightening the belt and looking her over. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I... Yes. I feel most strange now, you are most different then I. Many urges I once felt are gone and others exist in their place." Starfire said quietly. "Do you do the grooming?"

"Umm... I'm not sure what you mean."

"Do you do the cleaning of each other in a social setting?" Starfire asked.

"No, though we girls do occasionally help each other get ready for the day, socially." Barbara smiled faintly at her. "Your race is... err... was feline. I guess social grooming was common like it is with some of the felines on our world."

"Yes, but I do not have the urge for it any longer..." Starfire said quietly. "Friend Babs, is it because I am no longer complete Tamaranian?"

"Probably, do you think the social grooming was instinctive, something that came from your body instead of your mind?" Babs suggested.

"It is... possible," Starfire allowed. "There... there are other things." She felt heat fill her cheeks and touched them in confusion. Was she ill? "Umm... I feel strange at times, it is not necessarily unpleasant. The cuddles were most pleasant, but would not have been before." She swallowed and felt something like little winged insects fluttering in her stomach.

"They wouldn't have been?" Babs asked.

"No, as a people we are not the sort to engage in physical contact to comfort another, except for mates and parents," Starfire felt warm and scowled as she touched her skin experimentally. "I am not yet old enough to have a mate."

"Okay," Barbara chewed her lip as Starfire leaned back on the bed to catch the morning rays. "Is there anything else?"

"Well..." She flushed again and glanced down at herself. "I felt very warm when Richard was giving the cuddles. I was wondering if I was growing sick..."

Barbara ran a hand over Starfire's brow and pursed her lips. "You feel warm to the touch, but that might be your... hybrid biology. Do you feel warm now?"

"No."

"I'm not a Doctor. Maybe you could have Victor do some tests later." Barbara finally said.

"Who is Victor?" Starfire asked looking confused. "Is he a friend of Babs?"

"No, he's a friend of Robin's. He's a cyborg." Babs said and ran her hand over Starfire's shoulders. "What about your muscles? If what you said is true, I'd have thought they'd need a bit of development, as they are brand new. Do you feel achy or sore?"

"A little," Starfire admitted. "I had not considered that, it is probably also why I feel clumsy. I do not have the 'muscle memory' for their use any longer."

"After we get you some real clothes, we'll see Cyborg check you out. I guess I'll have to get my uniform out for that." Barbara sighed. "Come on. Let's show Dick how you look."

* * *

Robin stared as Starfire stepped into the small living room. She was wearing his clothes, her slim but tall form making her look rather ragged, the belt she had around her hips was taunt and while the white t-shirt seemed to fit rather comfortably around her upper torso, it failed to even come close covering her midriff giving him a tantalizing glimpse of her navel as she spun once and smiled faintly at him.

"Looking good Star," Robin said with a smile. Her green eyes glimmered and Robin chuckled, "Just one thing to finish the effect." He pulled out his wrap around shades and stepped up to her. "Human eyes don't normally glow… so." He slipped them over her eyes and stepped back. "Awesome… no one would guess you're an alien."

Barbara snickered. "Yeah, and no one would guess your hair was natural."

"I do not understand, your hair is much like mine." Starfire said as she shrugged.

"Red hair usually accompanies a pale complexion." Barbara said. "You're really dark skinned for someone with red-hair. Most people will assume you color it."

"Am I acceptable now?" Starfire asked as she put her thumbs through the belt loops and smiled.

"Definitely." Robin said with a smile.

The three of them, in civilian clothes, took the subway to 33rd and 6th Avenue. Dick noticed that it didn't take long for Starfire to get a couple of odd looks from the other people in the subway car, but the number was far fewer then he'd thought. Then again, it was New York city after all, and strange sights were pretty close to the norm.

Barbara Gordon dragged the two of them into the closest coffee shop and promptly got a mocha double shot grande, while Dick and Starfire grabbed something akin to a breakfast of muffins. Starfire had spotted hot chocolate on the menu and promptly ordered it, making Dick wonder if she would ask for pizza again that night.

Awakened by the caffeine the Dick followed the two redheads into the Manhattan Mall, and was promptly embarrassed when Starfire stopped before Victoria's Secret and asked why if the garments were secret beautiful women were posing in them at the entrance. Then she asked what the purpose of the garments was and Dick promptly felt like he was going to die when Babs glanced at him and gave a devious smirk.

"They're designed to cover up the sexual organs in an erotic manner," Barbara said as Dick turned a bright red from embarrassment. "I don't think you'll need to worry about that... well, besides the covering up anyway. We need to get you a lot of stuff, Starfire."

There was no denying that. Dick thought as they drifted from store to store. He really wasn't comfortable moving amongst the racks of underwear, panties, and bras that were obviously required, and he really didn't need to hear Starfire's model like measurements either. They were putting images in his brain, and considering he'd seen her nude before... well, it was a bit much for a hormonal teenager to handle.

_And did she really have to try on everything with him there? It was distracting, hell it was beyond distracting... The body she'd made for herself was downright hot, and then there was the red-hair and..._

_Damn it! Why did she get so bubbly and bouncy?_ He fretted to himself as Starfire giggled and pulled a top from the rack, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Dick swore under his breath as he caught a flash of her midriff and shut his eyes. A moment later he could feel Barbara's glare and Dick let out a long sigh of exasperation. What was he supposed to do?

Barbara led Starfire to the changing room and whispered to her before turning to Dick and sending a glare at him. Then she stopped before him and her lips twitched. "I told her to change into what she liked, and we could pay for it at the register."

Dick nodded and Babs let out a sigh before sitting beside him on the bench.

Then she smacked him in the back of the head with her open hand, "Snap out of it, will you?"

"Fine!" Dick snapped. "You just had to explain to her about underwear and all that... and then she's bouncing around all giggly without... without..."

Barbara slowly smirked at him. "Without what Boy Blunder?"

"I'm not going to say it. You know it's distracting every single man who can see her, right?" Dick snapped. "Just glad she's not feeling cold, that would be even worse!"

Babs let out a burst of laughter and leaned forward holding her stomach. As she kept laughing, she started snorting and Dick felt a slow smile slide across his face. Then she gave him a predatory smile. "Dick, are you talking about... a bra?"

"Kill me now," Dick groaned. "I don't want to be thinking about what's beneath those clothes, alright?"

"Such a gentleman..." Babs said after another chuckle. "I've been thinking..."

"Really? I thought you were busy deciding what would be the best way to tease me about this," Dick murmured.

"Yes, and it's about her." Barbara slowly leaned back. "You know that report from the Green Lanterns didn't tell us all that much which would be useful, you know."

"What do you mean?" Dick muttered. "It had plenty on her."

"Yeah, but think about this... She's an alien trapped inside a human body, right? Do we know how emotionally driven was her species? Would she even have the same emotional range as she normally would? I mean, she's obviously emotional, but is that her or is it her body chemistry throwing her off..."

"Okay... and how would we be able to tell?" Dick said.

"She was an alien, and I'm pretty sure the pleasure centers and biochemistry wasn't the same... Plus, the file said her species was uplifted! Would that mean she'd be more instinctively programmed for things? Hell, there's only two species on this planet whose sex drive has been proven to be pleasure based."

Dick just stared at her as those words caused his normally intelligent brain to shut down. "What?"

Barbara sighed, "Dick, you're not just going to have to deal with her learning earth culture, morals, and laws, but learning about her human emotions if they're different."

"She certainly seems emotional to me, like she's pretty intact anyway," Dick said cautiously. "Are you worried I'd take advantage? What do you mean about sex drive anyway?"

Babs shook her head. "No, but Dick... I don't want you getting hurt." She ruffled his hair after a moment and smirked.

"Thanks Babs."

"As for the comment about sex drive…" Barbara bit her lip before letting out a long breath. "Only humans and apparently the Chimpanzee have been proven to derive pleasure from sex. If her species didn't have that, what about physical attraction? Her species may have been programmed in stuff like that, instinctively… This… It's making my brain hurt."

Dick swallowed trying to get his shocked brain to start working again. "I… I have no idea, we don't know if it even matters do we?"

"She's also afraid she might be getting sick. You should Victor check her out in detail… Start medical records and so forth. We just don't know anything about her yet," Barbara said.

"Now you're making my brain hurt," Dick muttered before rubbing his temple.

The door to the changing room slid open and Dick froze as Starfire stepped out with the small selection of clothes that he'd given her over an arm. She wore a purple halter top that clung to her slim form but didn't quite reach the short equally purple skirt she'd chosen. A set of socks and purple Converse completed the outfit. His breath caught in his throat as she spun around once and giggled to herself. "Wow..." He breathed.

Barbara smiled. "Nice, it looks like it fits."

"Yes, it is most comfortable..." Starfire said with a giggle and spun again. Dick stared at her back as she spun and swallowed. "I believe it reveals enough for me to recharge, as well."

"That's great," Dick said with a faint smile.

Starfire smiled back at him, and he felt his guts tighten. He could imagine her eyes glimmering beneath the wrap around glasses and glanced over at Babs to find her studying him with a smirk on her face.

* * *

Twenty-four light years from Earth, the Green Lanterns had long ago setup a picket line of monitoring devices, surrounding the massive Vegan Star System. The artificial intelligence each satellite contained studied each ship which left the system. The Psions had long been able to bypass the Oan technology with stealth suites and various other means. Fortunately, they had not elected to transfer that technology to the species which fell under their de facto domain.

It was for this reason that the Psion ship had managed to slip past the sensors around the system. The Watchtower, fitted with technologies from other sources had been able to detect the ship, but only just as it streaked to earth.

This time, the Green Lantern Corps knew that a ship had left the Vegan System within twenty minutes of its departure. The lanterns on Earth had been alerted the night before of the launch. Now, the monitoring system was tracking two more Gordanian ships exiting the system as well.

In the station that orbited beyond the picket line, Alt Mad'chen, the Green Lantern assigned monitoring of the border with the Vegan system studied the displays, his lined face crunched up in concentration as he ran one long finger over the visual record of the three ships. The computer chimed and relayed the spectral line readings from each of the ship's drive cores.

"Confirmed, two Chrga-class Scout Ships and one Grsa-class Transport," The computer stated.

Alt Mad'chen nodded to himself before encoding a data-burst destined for the Guardians and Earth itself.

* * *

"God damn it, BB! I told you to stop muckin' up my kitchen with that stuff. It stinks, man! I'll never get the smell out now!" Victor Stone snapped as he pushed Garfield away from the small stove top which the younger kid was using to make tofu. Victor gagged at the smell of the stuff and stepped away from the stove top, holding his nose. "What the hell, I thought tofu was suppos' to be smell-less!"

"It's stinky tofu, Cy!" Beast Boy answered as he plated his lunch and glared at Cyborg. "Don't you start making bacon! That makes me stick to my stomach!"

"And that shit doesn't?" Cyborg said as he pulled a skillet from the rack over the stove. "Damn, that stuff stinks!"

There was a loud knock at the door and Cyborg froze as he reached for the refridgerator. After swearing under his breath, Cyborg walked over to the door and peered outside.

Three figures stood just outside the door, all three of them wore either wrap around sunglasses or simple shades. It took a moment for Cyborg's brain to connect the spikey haired kid and the bronze skinned redhead with the events of the previous night, then he tore open the door and smiled. "Hey... You didn't call ahead?"

"Been a bit busy." Robin said as he lugged a set of bulging shopping bags inside. "Starfire needs to be examined. I'm worried she might have some negative effects from the transference."

"I see you went shoppin' with her and, who are you?" Cyborg studied the second redhead for a moment. "Robin, you didn't pick up another teammate somewhere did you?"

A snicker came from the second redhead. "Nice to see you in person Cyborg," She said and Cyborg gaped.

"Babs, well hell! BB, get your little tofu eatin' ass over here." Cyborg called as he studied the girl.

"What? I was eating!" Beast Boy said before peeking from the dining area. "Hey, who is that?"

"Wow, so that's what Beast Boy looks like... he's kind of cute." Babs said as she stepped inside and pulled Starfire along. "Sorry to bother you two, but I really think we need to get Starfire that diagnostic."

Robin nodded. "Cyborg, you're pretty close to a full blown doctor and I really don't want to have to explain Starfire's situation to anybody."

"Alright, I've got a work area this way and we can get the girl looked at." Cyborg said with a huff and led the three of them to a side room filled with equipment of various types and an examining table. "Starfire, you can sit down and we'll get started."

The alien nodded nervously as she sat on the table while Cyborg activated a sensor suite. "So... what exactly has you guys concerned?"

"Well, she's a human alien hybrid that's been 'alive' for less than twenty-four hours, I'd like to know she'll stay that way." Robin said as he sat down beside Cyborg. "Plus, we need to start some sort of medical records for her, right?"

"Medical records?" Starfire asked in a confused tone.

"Health records, so we can make sure you're healthy." Robin said as Cyborg turned on a small light and removed her glasses to check her pupils, which left him puzzled until he made out the bare hint of them beneath the glow.

"Pupil dilation is normal, for a human anyway." A second later he glanced at the monitors and pursed his lips after scanning her with his infrared sensors. "Body temperature is... ten degrees above normal! Starfire... Have you been feeling dizzy or had a headache?"

"No... I do not think so," Starfire said quietly.

Cyborg frowned to himself. "Nothing? I guess that was the alien bit then, because a human's mind would be a bit cooked by that. Do you feel warm?"

"Yes, sometimes... it, does not stay always, but does the coming and the going." She said and Cyborg saw her cheeks darken slightly at those words. "I do not understand what I am feeling when it does the coming and the going."

Cyborg nodded and pulled out a sphygmomanometer and wrapped it around her arm to take her blood pressure. As it tightened, he saw Starfire flinch slightly and shift nervously on the seat. "Calm down, it'll just measure your blood pressure."

"Oh... do you not have scanners or monitors to do this?" She asked.

"Not yet, tech like that is in the works, but it isn't exactly easily available yet. I've got some scannin' systems, but blood pressure is so easy to measure it wasn't worth buyin'." Cyborg said as he touched her wrist and took her pulse. "Strong pulse, blood pressure seems a bit high, but then we don't know what's normal for you." He tapped the examination bed and a digital display lit up showing her weight. "One-hundred-ninety pounds... You don't look that heavy."

"She's certainly not fat," Babs muttered. "Could she have a higher bone density maybe?"

"Maybe, I can find out." Cyborg said as he pulled a device down and started to wave it over her body. "This is a magnetic resonance imager, Star... it'll let me see the internal structure and density of your body, okay?"

Starfire nodded nervously as Cyborg activated the scanner. "Been meanin' to add one to my systems, hmm... Bone density is a little higher than the human norm, but muscle fiber density is much higher, almost three times normal. Damn girl, you're strong."

The tests continued on for several more minutes and Cyborg took a meticulous record of the readings both on his system's hard drive and on a chart he could give to the others. Test after test showed a handful of anomalies. The total absence of scar tissue was one with an obvious cause, as Star's body was brand new. Her higher than normal body temperature, oxygenation, and odd neural scan results, were fairly easy to explain as being due to the autotroph that lived within her body. Other anomalies could be traced back to her alien heritage, like the higher muscle fiber and bone density.

His examination did answer some of the other questions that had risen, as a simple check for growth plates revealed the girl wasn't done growing despite hitting almost six feet already, and Cyborg guessed that she had at least two or three inches more of height to add before she was fully mature. Despite this, Cyborg found signs that puberty was well underway, and actually reaching its later stages. She was a teenager, of sorts, like the rest of them.

Guessing her age from that was a fool's errand, though Cyborg was amused by the shocked looks on Babs and Robin's face. Both were rather short compared to the girl already.

"Well, let's see... I'm not sure if any of this will even make sense to you, girl, but..." Cyborg said before questioning Starfire for ten minutes on both her own feelings, the traits of her species, and asking about any family history, but it became clear quite rapidly that any attempt to make a true medical history for her was all but impossible.

Then in a rather skittish voice she asked. "I... I am feeling rather tight in my... it is the stomach, perhaps? I believe I must umm..." She crossed her legs and chewed her lip. "I am not certain."

"Starfire, do you need to go to the bathroom?" Robin suggested.

"I do not need the bathing, Richard... I umm... I believe I must purge myself of bodily waste and..."

At that moment Babs choked and swore to herself as Cyborg gaped at the girl. At the same time Robin stared to say, "Umm... By bathroom I meant where the toilet is."

"Oh, the... device for depositing human waste and disposing it with water?" Starfire said before shifting nervously. "I... I did not assimilate the means of utilizing the device while assimilating your language, Richard. I require the assistance of one who kno—"

"I'll do it!" Babs said and grabbed Starfire's hand before dragging her toward the door, then she stopped. "Cyborg, where is it anyway?"

"Two doors to the right." Cyborg said before waving them off. As they left he turned backed to Robin and sighed. "Assimilated language?"

Richard chewed his lip. "She... apparently can link into the mind of others through the exchange of bodily fluids... like..."

"When she kissed you, man!" Cyborg chortled. "It sounds like you're having a lot of fun now... Eh Robin? So, did you call Babs in to help or what?"

"I am supposed to sit on it?" Starfire's muffled voice came from down the hall.

"No, but I'm glad she showed up when she did." Robin muttered before giving him a sad smile. "I don't know if I could have handled it."

"Maybe Raven would have help—"

A groan from the hall was followed by Starfire's voice, "Why is it that you are uncomfortable assisting me Friend Babs?"

Cyborg shook his head. "Maybe not, she's a handful, isn't she?"

"Yeah, there's so much we don't know about her too... this transference or whatever you want to call it is only making it more complicated." Robin muttered before rubbing his eyes. "She... Cyborg, she... I don't know how to say it, so I'll just say it... I got her file from the Green Lanterns and its bad Cyborg, really bad. She's a refugee, an escaped slave, a..."

Cyborg sighed. "A test subject, and now she's an alien learnin' how to live in a human or at least near-human body." He groaned and rubbed his face for a long moment. "You're takin' care of her, aren't you?"

"Yes... I'm doing the best I can, but last night... She had an awful nightmare, I don't even know what it was about but she woke up screaming and glowing a bright green..." Robin rubbed his face mask and sighed. "None of us could get back to sleep after it."

"You're doin' the right thing, and she's more comfortable with you I think," Cyborg sighed. "Unless you want to move her in with Raven..."

"I doubt Rachel would appreciate that." Robin muttered under his breath. "Babs is going to need to go back to Gotham too... or I might have Batman come knocking again."

"You can handle it, right? Takin' care of the little lost soul?" Cyborg asked.

Robin nodded. "Yeah, I can handle it."

"Good."

A moment later a brightly brushing Babs led Starfire back into the room, looking thoroughly embarrassed. As Starfire sat down Babs let out a long sigh. "Well, that was fun... Oh, I forgot to tell you, I got that dock number you were looking for." She said before glancing at Starfire.

"We can check it out later... How soon do you have to be back in Gotham?" Robin asked.

Babs sighed. "I have to get back tonight. Dad doesn't like me crashing at friends' houses anyway."

"Alright," Robin let out a sigh.

Beast Boy scrambled into the room at that moment. "Hey, dudes! It's time for lunch!"


End file.
